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“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 I generally don’t consider myself a perfectionist.  But, if I am honest, I do consider performance important. I believe this is a problem particularly for men. We tend to think we are what we do. Men, more often than women, take our identity from our careers and achievements.   This can be a real problem in spiritual matters.  Performance doesn’t make us any more or less acceptable in God’s eyes. When we start focusing on performance we set ourselves up falling into the trap of never knowing if we’ve done enough. We never truly feel accepted.  Performance focus is a thief. It promises rewards, but it steals both joy and satisfaction. Why? Because we can never do enough, we an impossible goal, and therefore will constantly be faced with frustration and failure.  Two things about you are true, without your “performance”—   You are forgiven in Christ.   You are righteous in Christ. Holy Spirit, help me focus on what Christ has done and not on what I do. My performance flows from […]

A recent study shows that folks are more miserable after logging on to Facebook. On Facebook folks post their warm and fuzzy pics of their kids, talk about the fun things they are dong and how they love everyone. Since that doesn’t match up with all of “real” life, we get depressed when our lives doesn’t measure up to the world of Facebook.  Just “log off” you say. But, it seems to me, the very same phenomenon is present in the pews of our Christian churches. At church we smile broadly, we get excited about what “God is doing.” Our worship songs are upbeat and positive. Nobody is as happy as he seems on Facebook. And no one is as “spiritual” as he seems in what we deem as “spiritual” enough for Christian worship. Maybe what we need in our churches is more tears, more failure, more confession of sin, more prayers of desperation that are too deep for words. Maybe then the lonely and the guilty and the desperate among us will see that the gospel has come not for the happy, but for the brokenhearted; not for the well, but for the sick; not for the found, […]

The next couple of days could be pretty interesting. Schools closed. Icy roads. All that jazz. Anxiety levels will likely be up. First, please be safe. It’s been a while since we’ve had icing conditions in Acadiana. Our curiosity and inexperience can be a dangerous combination.If you are blessed to be able to stay home, why not make it a special time with the family? If you have to be out of the house, remember a warm heart can go a long way.Please pray for those who are alone or with inadequate heating. In short, isn’t this just another opportunity to be Jesus to someone?Be warm and be blessed. Nick

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”—Matthew 11:29  My wife is a very good driver. She is very careful. But I don’t like to be driven around by my wife, or anyone else. I don’t like not being in control. When we go somewhere together I almost always drive.  I think she has found it easier to just let me drive. This picture is neither me nor my lovely wife. But you get the point. Many times, we can be that way with God. He has the steering wheel but we can help giving directions. We are willing for Him to be our copilot, but not the pilot. When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you” (Matthew 11:29), He meant that we are to submit ourselves to Him every day in every way. A yoke was made of wood, handcarved to fit the neck and shoulders of the animal to prevent pain or discomfort. In ancient culture, the word “yoke” was a term that was used to describe submission. So when someone was described as being yoked to someone or something, […]

  “Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38 A king was once traveling through his kingdom. He came upon one of his subjects who was carrying a sack of wheat, produced through much blood and sweat. “Give me some of your wheat.” The king said. The farmer thought carefully and reached into his bag and removed a single grain of wheat which he fearfully handed to the king. The king took the grain. He then reached into a bag of his own and pulled out a single gold coin and handed it to his subject and rode off. Can we doubt that for the rest of his life the farmer wondered what would have happened if he had given the king the whole bag. How are we giving to the Lord, in resources and talents? By the grain, by the handful or by the sack? This isn’t a prosperity concept. God could give us a whole bag any time He wanted. But like any other endeavor, we […]

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12  What are you going to do today? Because of Jesus, the possibilities are endless.We live under grace of God and not under the law. We’ve been completely liberated from legalism! As a believer in Christ, you’re committed to a greater calling: to follow Jesus Christ. There is more responsibility in that than in being bound by rules.  And “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).  What are you going to do today? Will it bring God glory by night fall? Nick

Those of you who joined us last Sunday Night for Being the Church will recognize that I have  summarized that session during our daily devotionals this week. I apologize to those who attended last Sunday night for the repetition; but I believe the teaching is worth repeating. I also believe it is worth a wider audience. What’s more important than Being the Church? It’s our purpose. This Sunday night we will discuss Faithfulness. I believe we will look at it in a way most of us never have before. I look forward to seeing all of you who were there last week. The rest of you are now caught up so you can join us without missing a beat. See you Sunday night at 6 p.m. and Be blessed. Nick

So what are the purposes of Church? Why have church? What should we be doing as the church? I think this list pretty well covers it; but I would list them in a different order. I think some purposes are more basic and form a foundation for the others. PRAYER: Prayer is foundational. No successful ministry exists without it. It should be the first thing we learn and our most common exercise. After all, it’s the method for our change and the source of our direction.  FELLOWSHIP:  I think this is next. We have to learn to “play well” with others and it is by the love for each other that we demonstrate that we are His. DISCIPLESHIP: Founded on our prayer life and love for each other we desire to grow more like our Savior. If we’re not moving forward, we’re moving back. MINISTRY: As we grow, we desire to serve. The Lord identifies the gifts among us and puts them to use. OUTREACH: Our service to each other, grows into a service outside our walls to bring others to Our Lord and into our Fellowship. WORSHIP: Most churches believe they worship. But worship is a lifestyle and […]