What brings you joy? Reunion with friends you have not seen for a long time? Enjoying nature’s beauty? Getting a bargain for something on your wish list? I believe there are many similar little opportunities that bring joy to our lives. However, as disciples of the Lord, have we experienced another kind of joy that brings us deeper satisfaction? To put discipleship into practice, our new slogan is “To live out Christ daily and enjoy His Kingship.” One of the key elements in the discipline of discipleship is to enjoy God’s Kingship.
How is discipleship related to enjoying God’s kingship? I think enjoying God’s kingship is linked to our acknowledgment of Christ as our Lord and king. Acknowledging Christ as our king and obeying His commands builds a key foundation for our relationship with Him. Obeying God in every aspect of our lives is a key discipline in being a disciple. How can we find joy in the discipline of obeying God? Firstly, joy comes from trust. If we have complete trust in who we obey, then obedience is easy. Just like the relationship between a child and his/her parents, the child will derive joy and satisfaction from the parents’ approval and praise. If children are regularly praised for obeying their parents, they will become naturally willing and happy to obey their parents. It will become a natural interaction. If a child is rebellious, then there are probably underlying reasons. A rebellious child needs to be disciplined and corrected in love.
Our relationship with God is similar. God demands our full obedience. Not only does it please God, it also brings us a lot of satisfaction. If we can willingly trust God more and not ourselves, we can avoid a lot of pain and suffering.
Our King, our Lord Jesus Christ, has already paid a very high price for our sake. He is calling us to follow Him, promising a future of a glorious salvation. Sometimes, under particular circumstances, obeying God may be beyond our logic and understanding. That is the real discipline that we need in our spiritual growth, to believe in God’s love and power, and to obey God even when we cannot completely comprehend it. That kind of obedience will bring us joy and satisfaction deep in our spirit. Let us together strive towards “enjoying God’s Kingship.”
什麼樣的時刻，你會感受到快樂？是和久未見面的朋友重聚？享受大自然中的美景？或者以打折的價錢買到心儀已久的物品？在我們的生活中，我相信有點點滴滴這樣的機會，讓我們感到歡喜快樂。然而，作為主的門徒，還有一種喜樂，是更深的滿足，我們體會過嗎？為了實踐門徒訓練，我們的新口號是：“每天活出基督，以王為樂。”（To live out Christ daily and enjoy His kingship）在作主門徒的操練中，有一項重要的內容，是“以王為樂”。
門徒訓練為什麼要和“以王為樂”聯繫在一起呢？我想，以王為樂，至少是和主基督是我們的王這一認知相關聯。如果說他是王的話，那我們與他的關係有一個主要的基石，就是我們對他的順服。在生活的任何一個方面都順服神，是作主門徒的主要操練。如何在凡事都順服神的操練中享受喜樂呢？首先，喜樂源自信任。如果我們對於順服的對像有完全的信任，順服就不是難事。就像在小孩子和父母的關係裡，小孩子的喜樂是以得到父母的認可和稱讚為滿足，如果小孩子被訓練通過順服父母的教導而得到父母稱讚的話，他們會越來越自然地樂意順服父母，並以此為樂，這是自然的互動關係。若是孩子悖逆，必然有一些的原因。悖逆的孩子，需要在愛中被管教，被調整。
這和我們與神的關係類似，神要求我們全然地順服他，不僅使神喜悅，也帶給我們許多的滿足。我們如果樂意更多的相信神，而不是相信自己的話，可能有很多痛苦艱難是可以免去的。
我們的王-主耶穌基督，已經為著我們的緣故，付出極重代價，他呼召我們跟隨他，並應許將來的美好救贖。雖然有時候，在某些情況下，順服神超越了我們的理性和理解，這應是我們要在屬靈成長中真正的操練：就是相信神的愛和大能，在不能完全理解的情況下，也順服神。這樣的順服，必會帶給我們深遠的靈裡的喜樂和滿足。讓我們一起追求“以王為樂”吧！
