I will rejoice! I will rejoice!
I will rejoice for I made my
Choice to rejoice in the Lord!

It doesn't depend on the circumstance,
The strength of my arm or my voice.
It doesn't depend on the way I feel.
I've made up my mind and I'm gonna rejoice.

There is no higher calling
No greater honour
Than to bow and kneel before Your throne
I'm amazed by Your glory
Embraced by Your mercy
O Lord, I love to worship You

Rev. Norman Wong gave a very interesting message at our church's leaders' conference last night. The passage was John 21: 15-17- Jesus, just before ascending to heaven, asks Peter three times whether he loves Him.

"Simon, Son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?.... Feed my lambs
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?.... Feed my sheep.
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?... Feed my sheep."

Each time, Peter answers yes; by the third time, he even feels hurt that Jesus has asked him three times. "Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time..." Perhaps it is symbolic here that Jesus asked him three times, since Peter had denied Jesus three times on the night of His betrayal. Rev. Wong shared another very interesting fact-

In the original Hebrew text, the word "love" was not the same word throughout. The conversation went on something like this-

"Do you love (agape) me?"
You know I love (phileo) you.
Do you love (agape) me?
You know I love (phileo) you.
Do you love (phileo) me?
You know I love (phileo) you."

The word "agape" represents the highest form of love, the self-sacrificial, all-conquering love that Jesus has for us. The word "phileo" represents a lower form of love, a strong, brotherly kind. Jesus seems to be questioning Peter here- "Do you love me more than anything else in the world, even your own life?" And Peter replies, "Yes I do... (but my love is not perfect like Yours)." We would understand it even better if we looked at an earlier passage, where Peter declares, "I will lay down my life for thy sake." John 13:37. Imagine the guilt and grief Peter must have been feeling when Jesus was asking him those three times, as he realised how inadequate and weak his love for Jesus really was. Yet remarkably, Jesus switches the word He uses in the last question. "Do you love (phileo) me?" It seems that Jesus is willing to accept whatever love Peter can offer, however little or weak it may be.

The story of Peter's denial is well-known; yet I believe it holds stronger relevance to us than we think. While Peter's outright denial of Jesus, three times, is an extreme case, we must realise how often we ourselves as Christians deny Christ. Think about it- how often do we emphatically, in our worship and prayers, declare to Christ that we will lay down our lives for Him? Lay down our crowns for Him? Everything we have for Him? And yet when the music fades, our lives degenerate back into other pursuits. When we are called to stand up for Him, whether in word or deed, so often we shy away, preferring to remain in the shadows. I am so ashamed when I look back on my own life- almost every day I tell the Lord that I want to serve Him wholeheartedly and with my entire life, and yet when He strips away everything save Himself, my weak and wicked heart still clamours for the things it once had. I am so ashamed that despite passing by crowds of people everyday, those I know and do not know, I never have the courage to share the wonderful Gospel that has saved me. I begin to get a glimpse of the grief and guilt Peter must have felt on that fateful day.

And unbelievably, Jesus never once condemned Peter. Never. "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Luke 22:31-32. He still told Peter, three times, Feed my sheep. Jesus counted Peter worthy, able, to carry His Word and strengthen his brethren. Jesus was willing to take what little Peter had to offer, and use it for His glory. And use it He did. Peter went on to become one of the greatest apostles. Jesus' words spoke true- "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." Matt. 16:18.

We are weak; we are so very weak. Any illusions about our own strength must quickly be dispelled, that God's strength can take over. "For when I am weak, then am I strong." 2 Cor. 12:10. And like with Peter, Jesus can take and use anything that we offer Him, in earnestness and sincerity. But we must not withhold anything. "Simon, Son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" Peter would not have become what he became if he had decided to stick to his former life; but he gave up everything to follow Jesus. And we must do likewise.

Truly, this passage is a testimony to the greatness and depth of God's grace and love. He knows our every weakness. He knows how wicked our hearts are. And yet He forgives us. And counts us worthy to be His servants, His children. Praise be to God.

Are we content just living lives chasing after material things? Are we content just resting in our salvation while pursuing other things and not the things that God has planned for us? Are we content just letting life pass by when there is so high a calling on us, and so great a love driving us on?

A.W. Tozer wrote this, "God was saying to Abraham, 'You may have some other idea about the design and purpose of your life, but you are wrong! You were created in My image to worship Me and glorify Me. If you do not honor this purpose, your life will degenerate into shallow, selfish, humanistic pursuits."

I believe that Jesus meant for all of us- not just some, but all- to be His disciples. People often don't think so; after all, Jesus only had 12 disciples. But think about it- Jesus could not have possibly discipled the whole world in His three years of ministry! He only had 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So He chose 12 men, and poured all His energy and spirit into discipling them. And before He left, what did He command them to do?

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28: 19-20

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." Those things that He commanded includes "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me..." and "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it..." Evidently all these commands were meant not just for the twelve, but for the twelve to spread to the entire world!

You may be thinking one of these things, "But I'm too weak to be a disciple of Christ! That is for people who are spiritually stronger! I don't know where to start in my spiritual life! I don't know what to do! I can't even keep up my spiritual life; how am I ever going to be a disciple?" But know this- Jesus did not choose for His disciples men of great spiritual stature. He chose for Himself men who were "weak"- mostly fishermen, and even a tax collector, who in those days were reviled for their dishonesty. And His command to them was simple- "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus did not say, do this or do that, and you will be fishers of men. He just said "Follow me". Being a disciple is not about what we can do, it is about what Christ can do through us. Jesus did not see the fishermen as too weak to be disciples, simply because He knew that it was His strength in them, and not theirs, that would make them true disciples of Him. And He sees you exactly the same way.

No one is too weak or unsuitable to be Christ's disciple. All anyone has to do is to follow Him, and He will do the rest. But it is a wholehearted following that is necessary, and that is the difficult part. That is what we all struggle with, to cast aside our nets like Peter, stop trying to catch what we desire in life, and follow Him. To relentlessly seek the plans that He has for us. But the disciples did, and look what amazing things He did through them! Look how powerful they became when the Holy Spirit came upon; read the amazing account of the day of Pentecost in Acts. Imagine, if every Christian on earth were a fraction of the disciples that the early apostles were, the earth would be blazing with God's glory! And God promises that He will make us much more, for His glory. God is saying, "thou shalt see greater things than these" (John 1:50), if we only avail our whole selves to His use.

Disciples of Christ come in all shapes and sizes; they are engaged in very different kinds of service to God. "And he gave some, apostles; and some prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers...." Ephesians 4:11. But the one thing that they all share in common is that their lives are completely yielded to God, their hearts are set only on glorifying Him, and it is not them who are working, but God who is working in them. "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh in all." 1 Cor. 12: 4-6. Do not be afraid to avail yourself to God, and He will use the gifts that He has given you, "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God..." Eph 4: 12-13

Jesus' school of discipleship is open; no one who sincerely enters ever fails, but it is a lifelong course, and the cost is our lives. Are we willing to pay that price to enter?

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: ) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Matt 6: 31-33

Well known verse, isn't it? Sounds like a great deal. Food, drink, clothing; all our material needs answered, if we will just seek first the kingdom of God. Yet why is it that people still struggle so much in laying aside their worries about material needs, and seeking God first? I think this is because there is still a great deal of misunderstanding about this verse.

Ask yourself this question- when you read this verse, what is it that you think of first? Is it seeking God, or is it your material needs? If it is the latter, then I believe we have not understood what Jesus meant. You see, many people read this verse with their material needs foremost on their minds. They think, "Wow, if only I seek God first, then all my material needs will be answered!" But the point is, they are still thinking about their material needs, not God. And so they try to seek God first, but ultimately they fail, because their real motive is really not to seek Him, and at the same time they are still pursuing material things. And they grow disillusioned and weary, and lose faith.

I believe when Jesus said this, He was speaking to people who were already seeking God first, or greatly desired to, but found themselves worrying about material needs. He was saying, "If you're worried about not having a place to sleep, or food to eat, while seeking Me, don't worry, for The Father will provide everything." He did not mean, "Come, seek me first, and you will have everything you need"! The key point here is what we are attributing importance to- God's kingdom, or our material needs. When Jesus said this He meant that seeking God and His kingdom is the most important thing, far more important than the material world, to be pursued at all costs, at the expense of everything we have. Seeking God is not a means to an end, to obtain all the material things we want; it is the very end itself to which we must live. It is the means to no other thing than to glorify Him in heaven.

People who are older may say, "You haven't seen the real, adult world yet! You're still young; you don't understand what it is to struggle to make a living, you don't understand how hard it is to earn money to survive." Yes indeed, I am still young, and very optimistic and idealistic; I may not understand all that, but I understand what Jesus meant when He said those words, and if you believe in Christ too, you would share my faith that He meant exactly what He said, and His promises are true. And there are many other adults who will testify to that. Seek Him, and Him alone, first, for no other reason that to glorify Him, and He will provide all else.

So now we must ask ourselves, is seeking God really all-important to us? Is it more important to us than every single thing in our lives? If not, then I think we have not understood those precious words that Jesus said on the Mount two thousand years ago.