fbpx

Tag: #authenticjoy

Posted on

Holy Communion

In all Christian denominations, communion is celebrated in one form or another. In the Catholic faith it is celebrated at every mass. In others, it may be weekly or monthly. No matter the frequency, there is something sacred about this practice of drinking His blood and eating His body as Christ commanded. However, as sacred as it is, there is more. There is a mystery; a deeper communion to which we need to surrender daily… hourly.

However, it requires letting go of the lie of separateness. If His Spirit is in us, then we are never separate from God; always in communion with Him. Yet why are we are always seeking to get to some state where we are one with Him? Aren’t we the body of Christ? Yes! Somehow, spiritually, we are the very body of Christ! Somehow, we can partake of the life of Christ. In fact, we are called to share His entire life throughout time and space!

We share in His suffering:

Colossians 1:24

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

Romans 8:17a

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings

We share in His death:

Romans 6:4a

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death

Colossians 3:3

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

We share in His resurrection:

Romans 6:5

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Colossians 3:1

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

We share in His glorification:

Romans 8:17

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

We will share in His second coming:

Colossians 3:4

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

These are amazing truths! I do not want us to come away from these scriptures feeling that all that they mean is that we must be like Christ or that it is all symbolic. I believe that the life of the Christian is so united with Christ that we reach out across time and space and partake with Him in His suffering, death, resurrection, glorification and second coming. As we commune with the eternal Christ now, we inherit all He ever was and who He ever will be because He exists in eternity!

We are called to eternal communion with Christ! Right here, right now… He is here.

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

Matthew 28:20b

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Posted on

Living On The Margin

.

What do I mean by living on the margin? I mean to walk the line of non-conformance. I mean to be unwilling to swear allegiance to any particular group. As kingdom believers, our allegiance is to the King alone, which means that on this earth we are always on the margin.

Jesus lived on the margin. He went to church every Sunday and he hung out with the sinners during the week. He didn’t belong anywhere on this earth. To the sinners he was saintly. To the supposed saints, he was sinful. They called Him a glutton and a drunkard. They exaggerated of course but the point is this; Jesus was not concerned about fitting in with society’s norms and neither should we.

The margin is my favourite place. Am I conservative or liberal? Both. Do I believe in capitalism or socialism? Neither. Am I Catholic or Pentecostal? Both and none. Am I a corporate executive or a surfer dude? Yes. When we refuse to join the in-crowd or conform to the social boxes, we live in a world where we are a bit of an enigma. Sometimes chastised and frequently misunderstood but always free to express the kingdom unfettered by public opinion.

And that is the issue; freedom. Those who pander to public opinion are slaves to that opinion and cannot truly execute their kingdom assignment on this earth. If we must belong to or support a particular political party, we are slaves. If we must be a member of the ‘right’ denomination, we are slaves. If we cannot associate with a particular person because in Christian circles he or she is known as a heretic or a backslider, we are slaves. If we cannot go here or there because it is a place of ill repute, we are slaves. Every box we put ourselves into, shuts off the kingdom from reaching those outside the walls through us. Who will reach the prostitutes? Who will reach the drug dealers? Who will reach those living alternative lifestyles? Who will bring balance to the group with a lop-sided theology? Who will lift up the preacher fallen in sin? Who will heal the heart broken divorcee? Who? Who? WHO?

The reason that Christians are described as lights and commanded not to hide their light under a bowl is because our assignment is to dispel darkness wherever that darkness exists. The mandate to enforce kingdom rule on this earth as it is in heaven must be so compelling that our need to be accepted or to be seen as right or righteous is overwritten by our zeal to reach the lost!

Dancing on the margin,

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
Posted on

Pure Bliss

I have often associated the state of bliss with a feeling of euphoria or deep contentment. A blissful moment is one where I would think, “I could just stay in this moment forever.”

Over the years, different things have triggered this feeling for me. It’s currently carnival time in my country and I can’t help but remember one such moment early in the morning chipping to an infectious rhythm behind a music truck for J’ouvert. The first orange streaks of sunrise washed over faces full of joy and bodies covered in paint moving in unison to the music. Time slowed. The celebrations in the street seemed a fitting compliment to the sunrise.  Both seemed to overflow with a joy of just being alive. Pure energy. Pure vibes.

Another time I remember was at the beach with my three kids. We were just frolicking in the waves. We were all children and the ocean was our playground. We ducked waves and dived into the surf. We splashed each other and pinched each other’s toes pretending to be a crab or a fish. When a particularly big wave came we all screamed in mock fear or pretended to be Hulk and smash the wave. We were jubilant. We were alive.

For me, moments like these make life worth living. They somehow remind me that I don’t just exist, I live. I have always been in pursuit of a blissful life.

One online dictionary defines bliss like this: Bliss is a state of complete happiness or joy. Marriage is often associated with this joyous feeling: people who are married and still in love are described as living in wedded bliss. Another common association is heaven or paradise, as in eternal bliss.

Bliss is a state of complete joy… That is exactly what I’m after; complete joy! Yes, I have had and continue to have the blissful moments described above but I’m not satisfied with moments of bliss. I want a state of bliss; perpetual bliss if you will.

It is this quest that has led me inexorably to Christ. In the presence of God I find pure bliss. Sometimes people ask me incredulously why I’m not going to any parties or not having sex. I’m guessing that they don’t understand what could be worth giving up those blissful moments. And I totally know where they are coming from because I’ve been there, and had I not experienced what I’ve experienced, I would still be there. But having tasted the goodness of God… Oh my! I can’t get enough!

That’s why I have no interest in religion. It’s just not attractive to me. It has nothing to offer me. I’m not interested in looking righteous or avoiding some future hell. Religion is dead. But Jesus Christ offers life and life more abundantly than we’ve ever known. It’s like when He rose from the dead, the life force that rushed into His body exploded in the earth, overflowing to every heart that would receive it.

Every time I think of Jesus and reach out my heart to His, He floods my soul with peace and love and joy. He makes even the bad days better and the times playing with my kids or dancing and singing in worship to Him are ten times sweeter. I have found that bliss comes with doing what you were born to do. I was born to dance, born to play, born to love and be loved but most of all I was born to worship God. I’m a Christian hedonist pursuing eternal heavenly bliss.

Join me,

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
Posted on

Where Has Your Zeal Gone?

When I was in my early twenties there was a group of us who were full of zeal for the Lord. We wanted to do great things for God. We talked about God and following His will for our lives and doing greater things than Jesus did endlessly! Every day was an adventure!

Today I look back at our group and I wonder what happened to us. I would say only a couple of us still have that fire burning. Why? It seems that life got in the way of our dreams. We got married. We had children. The mundane became the norm and soon it seems that the mundane was all that we expected. We relegated the stories of the bible to the domain of a few…not applicable to us; to normal people. The sad truth is we lost faith.

Church leaders will warn against backsliding from the pulpit. If you take part in carnival, you are a backslider. If you stop coming to church, you are a backslider. But I propose that there are hundreds of backsliders in church every Sunday. Christians who have absolutely nothing supernatural about their lives. Churchgoers who are just good people with no Living Water flowing into or from their lives. Jesus aches for these people to return to Him. If only we would believe again.

One of the phrases that I’ve come to view with extreme suspicion is, “With age comes wisdom.” Almost every time I’ve heard this in church its not been wise at all… it’s been a faith cop-out. A sad attempt at an excuse for playing it safe and ignoring the call of God to extreme risk for His cause. We were made to put it all on the line for the name and fame of Christ! Nothing less will do! We are called to forsake ALL and follow Christ!

There are people who will try to quench your faith and squash your dreams… Don’t let them! When they call you young and zealous say “YES I AM!”. Run with those who are laying it all down. Gravitate to the older heads who will stir your passion and give you real wisdom; the benefit of their experience to help you go further than they did.

Beloved, stir up your faith again like when you were young and full of zeal.

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
Posted on

Everybody Wants To Be A Hero

Everybody wants to be a hero. We want to be the hero for our children or in our company or maybe in our community. It’s a natural desire but pushed to the extreme it can do more harm than good.

When we have this hero complex, what often happens is that we do not allow others to shine. Much has been published about helicopter parenting and the negative effects of solving all your children’s problems for them. Our children can only actualize their full potential if we are willing to step down from the pedestal of needing to be idolized and allow them to rise to the challenges of life. Self-esteem comes from observing yourself achieve something that was not easy to accomplish. This growth in our children is what we sacrifice when we put on our cape and swoop in.

The same is true in other arenas. The old adage is true; “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Heroism shies away from giving away the secret of your success. Instead of focusing on empowering others we perpetuate a dependency on ourselves so that we are always the ones who get the accolades. This has been the strategy of successive governments in Trinidad and Tobago and it has been to the detriment of the country. The message on the political platform in some form or other has been, “Choose us. We will save you.” I eagerly await the day when some courageous leader will transform the dialogue from dependency to empowerment.

Another arena that is a passion of mine is the church. Many church leaders have also devotedly perpetuated this dependence syndrome in their congregations. Instead of teaching everyone how to hear from God and interpret scripture for themselves there has been a sick ultimate leader syndrome that discourages respectful disagreement or independent thought. Blind obedience is glorified and taking the initiative is discouraged as causing confusion or being overly-zealous. Of course, the need to covet glory for ourselves is part of the unsanctified human condition that has reared its head from since the early days of the church until now. Religious men have always set themselves up as THE middleman to God. Instead every pastor, elder and priest should be consistently and earnestly pointing everyone to Christ. “Do not depend on me, depend on God alone. Don’t look to me to solve your problems and give you guidance. Look to God.” This should be the message. There should be a constant redirection of worship and dependence and glory to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

In THE story; the unfolding epic saga of the whole universe for all time, in my humble estimation, there is only one hero who deserves all the glory and His name is Jesus Christ! He is the real hero!

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
Posted on

The Fire Series: What Proverbs Has To Say About Love & Sex

Some of the most interesting Proverbs for me are the ones that start with the statement, “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand:” or “Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up:” The lists of spectacles that come next have always intrigued me. As I came across these sayings again last week, two in particular stood out in a fresh way; “the way of a man with a virgin” and “an unloved woman when she gets a husband”.

I wondered what it was about these two things that the writer saw that was so wonderful and mysterious and earth-shaking? The wonderful mystery of sex I understood right away but I was not really getting the significance of the unloved woman getting a husband.

Then I reflected on my past romantic relationships and it hit me; women have a deep desire to feel treasured; to be loved above all other women. When this need is met a woman blossoms and it truly is beautiful. I am not by any means saying that I was a great love-er by the way. Far from it. Perhaps I should have had this revelation earlier in life because I believe if we men really understood this, we would be amazed at the difference it would make in our relationships. Maybe we would feel the earth tremble. Lol.

Similarly, when I went back to the verse about the man with a virgin I saw that it dealt with the deep need of men to know that they alone are the objects of their wife’s desire. Sex is as important to men as love is to women. I wonder if more women need to appreciate this truism?

So wives, I encourage you, make your man feel like a stallion. Tell him and show him how much he does it for you, regularly. It’s biblical! And husbands, I encourage you to tell your woman you love her every day. Take the time to find out her love language and make her feel treasured beyond compare.

OK coming back to my bible study… God had more to say. Because I thought about all those men and women who have not yet found a partner and asked, “What about the deep need of those women to feel loved and treasured God? What about those men with the unfulfilled need to be respected and admired?”

I believe His answer was this: “I am the ultimate fulfillment of all your needs. I am the love that is beyond compare and the pleasure above all ecstasies. My love for you is too wonderful for you and beyond your understanding. My love for you makes the earth tremble.” I believe there is complete wholeness in God. Maybe we will not fully experience it until the bride of Christ, the church, is united with Jesus Christ Himself… but even a taste of the love of God is beyond anything this world has to offer!

Joyfully,

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

Posted on

Best Laid Plans

The sun had just risen over the trees, bathing the dewy grass with its warmth as we disembarked the vehicle. My bff/coach began to outline the route for me. We had been progressing well towards our fitness goals and today she had set us an ambitious target. Over an hour later we had completed our best run in a while and we were pumped!

The problem is, this was also us same time last year January. But somehow it didn’t last. By the time December rolled around we were both feeling like BFDBs (Big Fat Dirty Bastards). It wasn’t for lack of planning or commitment. Because I must confess, my name is Matik and I’m a goal setting junkie. Every year I go through an intense goal setting process and it fuels my focus for the rest of the year. Still, my fitness was my biggest loss in 2018. And it sucks! So what happened? My Google Maps 2018 timeline says it all. I was hit by a crazy work travel schedule and I was hit hard! I’m a creature of habit and the constant disruption in my routine and eating habits completely threw me off.

So, it’s January again…. Time to make resolutions or if you are like me,set goals, and I’m thinking, “How can I avoid a repeat of 2018?”

So, I did a root cause analysis and I figured out what the problem was…When I was setting my goal, I did not take into account that I would have totravel so often. This phenomenon is the ultimate derailer of plans! We set goals assuming certain conditionsbut as the year progresses those conditions often change; conditions which wedid not plan for!

There are two things we can do to combat this (none of which I did in2018, which my scale can attest to):

  1. Brainstormpossible barriers for every goal we set and what we could do to surmount them.
  2. Even so, wewon’t think of everything, so we need to be able to re-assess and adjust ourgoals and plans when circumstances change. Stop and recalibrate.

Sometimes what we learn from our failures is more valuable than our victories. I hope this short lesson in goal-setting taken from my 2018 failure will help you to achieve all your wildest dreams in 2019 and beyond!

Joyfully,


Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
Posted on

The Christmas Gift For Everyone

The whole set up for the birth of Jesus is amazing. Consider first of all the simple fact that He came! God left His pure, ethereal, glorious existence and took on physical form. If I had unlimited power and existed in a world outside of time and space I’m not sure I would have willingly chosen to become a mere mortal confined to time and space. I mean consider that Jesus (God incarnate) had to be fed, have His diapers changed, learn to walk, go through puberty, make friends in school, study, get a job, work hard, feel tired, feel sad… the full range of what it means to be human.

Why did He do it? Love. Jesus is the ultimate expression of love in the flesh. He is an exemplar of ‘practice what you preach’. He showed us the way to live by example. And even more shocking is that His purpose was to effect the most scandalous gift exchange of all time. He gave His life so that we could gain eternal life. He took on humanity so that we could have godliness. He suffered so that we would suffer no more. He took away our sins so that we could become righteous. He left heaven so that we could have a home in heaven. He lay down His glory so that we could become glorious. The king became a servant, so that the servants could become kings!

Who is worthy of such a gift? The answer is no one and everyone. None are worthy, but all are accepted. The circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus were intentionally orchestrated by God to let us know that Jesus came for EVERYONE. He could have been born in a palace but instead He chose a stable. He could have been laid in a fancy hand-crafted crib but instead he chose a feeding trough for animals. His first visitors could have been the elite of the Jewish people at that time but instead He chose his first visitors to be the low-class shepherds and three wise non-believers. And when they did take Him to be dedicated at the temple who met Him there? An ordinary but devout parishioner named Simeon and an old devout widow. It wasn’t the who’s who but the ordinary faithful.

The bottom line is that Jesus was surrounded by believers and non-believers of humble and sincere hearts regardless of station in life or religious order. This is Jesus. The Saviour of the world. He came for us all. He does not care what denomination we belong to or if we have a denomination at all. He does not care about our social status or how many followers we have on Instagram. He is holding out His arms longing for all to come and receive Him. The Gift is free. The worth is inestimable.

Joyfully,


Copyright Matik Nicholls, 2018.
All rights reserved.
Posted on

Is Your Image Important?

Ever so often in my life, the question of my image rises to the surface. Typically, I could care less about my image… or put another way; I could care less about the opinions of people who do not know me. But every so often, those ‘people who don’t know me’ are also people who can influence the course of my life. Thus, it is in my interest to care about the opinions of such people. 

On one such occasion, I had just started a new management position and my boss suggested that we meet weekly to check up on projects that I would be working on. I thought that that was a bit excessive, so I suggested less frequent meetings. She didn’t go for it. A few months later she gave me my first performance feedback and admitted that there was more to me than first met the eye. She had not expected the level of competence that I exhibited. On another occasion, a senior manager was kind enough to let me know that my happy-go-lucky surfer dude persona was negatively impacting my management aspirations. He admitted that I had the intelligence and competence for the position, but some who worked less closely with me were concerned about my image.  

To be blunt, this type of thing pisses me off. I have no problem when people have an initial opinion but then take the time to get to know me before passing judgment (like the first boss I mentioned above). But I have a serious issue with people passing judgement from afar, not based on my performance, but based on who they think I am as a person. However, this is the reality of the world. People make decisions about you based on their opinion of you whether they actually know you or not. 

The question is; should we be concerned about our image? Should I be concerned about my carefree image? Should I try to change it? Such questions can be unsettling, at least for me.  

As I discussed these thoughts with my bff, she shared an interesting perspective. She has an image of always having her hair and nails on point and lately she was becoming concerned about the signal that she might be sending to the young women in her sphere of influence. She wondered if she was contributing to the current ethos of superficiality. Are nails and hair the most important things about a person? In the world of fake eyelashes, fake nails and weave have we become a society that is more about image than substance? 

She gave me food for thought and solidified my commitment to authenticity. There is a beauty and peace that comes with being yourself that for me is not worth any job promotion. I laugh loudly in the office and dance down the place at Christmas functions. That is not some people’s opinion of management behaviour. And I’m OK with that. You do you and I’ll do me. At the end of the day it would be nice to be judged only on your contribution to achievement of the company objectives but the world is not fair like that and I’m OK with that too. I am willing to pay the price for an authentic life. I believe in a higher justice. And I hope that my sacrifice will redound to upcoming leaders; that they will be able to shake the shackles of other people’s expectations and actualize their own authentic life.

Joyfully,

Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.