Lincoln Forlong

God is the God of purpose, who does NOT randomly interact with mankind on a whim.  All that He is and does has design, reason and intent, and this includes you and I. No-one escapes the Lord’s attention, especially those who try to ignore or deny Him.

Lives for thought

The Lord speaking through Moses, informed obstinate Pharaoh; “for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exodus 9:16). Even wicked Pharaoh was used by God to put on display His character. And didn’t Pharaoh do a spectacular job of it? The more determined and rebellious Pharaoh became against God, the more he drew everyone’s attention to the Lord’s even greater determination and remarkable power.

Likewise, King David, “after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep…” (Acts 13:36). David, like us, wasn’t a random accident who served no purpose other than pleasure and self-fulfillment. Each person has a God ordained purpose to uniquely fulfil during their allotted time in history.

Consider what “you have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11). Job’s complex life with all his suffering and blessings expose humanity to the merciful character of God through the extremities of life. Life is not just about fun, although fun is OK. Life is to be an array of experiences lived through the lens of Jesus Christ for the acknowledgement and expression of God’s character. This is what we mean when we say, ‘we live for the glory of God.’

Then there’s Barnabas, who exhorted the Church in Antioch “to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose” (Acts 11:23). There is no short-term test-drive thinking here. You don’t add Christ to your existing beliefs for the purpose of evaluating His performance. The deceptive feelings of your heart in this matter will always lead you away from Christ.

Your highest thoughts

However, your highest attention should be given to the reason Jesus Christ came and lived. Shortly before He was crucified for your sin He prayed; “Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name” (John 12:27-28). Christ was compelled to come to earth in His period of history for the single minded purpose of Glorifying His heavenly Father. This He did through crucifixion; dying your death in order that the Father’s justice against your sin could be satisfied. Faith in the substitutional death of Jesus permits peace from God to be dispatched into your heart and life (Romans 3:21-26).

You see, to know Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Saviour, is to know why you were born and what your purpose in life is. This realisation is what enabled the apostle Paul to say; “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Christ was His daily reason for living, and physical death served simply as the doorway to the eternal benefit of being in the presence of Christ in Heaven. This is the wonderful hope believers have in Christ.

An authentic surrendered relationship with the Lord Jesus gives purpose and significance forever. However, the sin of living independent of Christ will rob you of understanding your design, purpose, and hope of eternal life.

Today, I encourage you to live for Christ’s purpose through your faith and life.

 

Integrity, it’s not a word used much in today’s society; still, integrity is of the utmost importance to God. In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, integrity carries the idea of completeness in moral innocence. Here is mankind’s deepest problem, even though it’s denied most of the time. Typically, we think of ourselves as better, more righteous, more worthy of God’s approval than what we really are (Rom 3:10-18).

There’s a sense of self-righteousness within the human heart that says; “I don’t need God.” An attitude that determines that because life has not gone the way I considered correct or best, there cannot be a God. In spite of this, it’s that independent attitude that says; “I’ll sort God out if and when I see Him.” This defiant attitude which is belligerent toward God is identified in the Bible as sin which places the sinner under the wrath of God’s justice (Eph 2:1-3).

Integrity interests God

Therefore, integrity which is of interest to God starts by agreeing with Him as to our natural heart condition. The first acknowledgement is admitting that we have “sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It confesses “with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in your heart that God raised him from the dead…” (Romans 10:9). Then it aligns itself with God, who “has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2).

A healthy heart toward God recognises that “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17). In this step of faith there is an exchange of animosity against the Lord for trusting belief in Him. John speaks of this as receiving and believing in Jesus, it’s the work of God in the human heart that generates spiritual rebirth into God’s family (John 1:12-13). Spiritual integrity must start here!

Now, this new life in Christ has responsibilities. In this regard, the Lord connected two critical realities for King Solomon; “…walk with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules” (1 Kings 9:4). The bottom line is this; belief has to synchronize with behaviour. Why, because “faith apart from works is useless?” (James 2:20). We know and evaluate what we truly believe by what we do. The things we believe and put into practice will be the things we tend to persevere in, for good or for bad.

God’s always on the lookout

The Lord looks to see a correlation between your claimed faith, and your behaviour. He looks for this integrity connection which is evidence of “redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). This God generated reality is what enables you to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

The mark of spiritual integrity is this; faith produces the desire to live for God’s pleasure and His glory. You see, the Church is all about God, and very little about us. It was God who “in love… predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:4-6). We, the Church, exist for God’s glory through Jesus Christ! Today my friends, I encourage you to consider your integrity through God’s eyes.

 

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19 NIV). Simon and Andrew didn’t see this one coming. The brothers weren’t looking for a new religion or prophet to follow. No, they were quite happy without Jesus; dead in their spiritual blindness, but happy in their darkness.

Through this simple intervention Jesus called two brothers to a radical and permanent transformation.  Should they follow, fish would no longer satisfy. Their entire world would be irreversibly changed. Jesus gave them no options, no consideration for feelings, and no opportunity for negotiation. Either abandon all to follow Jesus, or ignore the God-man and continue fishing. Surprisingly, the only promise given by Jesus was this mysterious business of becoming “fishers of men.”

Should they follow, they would be part of humanity’s bulls-eye events, integrated into a 3 year world changing intervention by God. To follow would mean a change in every priority, every relationship would be recalibrated to fall under Jesus as Lord and God. Popularity would be irrelevant, wealth would seem immaterial, health concerns would be inconsequential, and Heaven would be the indisputable destiny.

A historic choice

What were these brothers to do? “Immediately they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:20). That was it, the choice was made, there would be no turning back. Next, James and John were confronted by a similar life changing demand that left no room for compromise or blending of the old and new life. Likewise, “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” (Matthew 4:22). Christ’s call permitted no bargaining, no terms of acceptance were permitted, and no telling Him to come back later when it suited better. No, following in total surrender was the only appropriate response.

Many months later, Jesus told his disciples, including Simon, Andrew, James and John; “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). These men had already walked away from business, family, community and lifestyle. What more could Jesus expect? Turns out, Jesus wanted everything! He was calling for a willingness to accept the possibility that followers may suffer the same crucifixion which He would suffer shortly.

As we know, they willingly followed Jesus into a life of fishing for the souls of people to be saved for eternity through faith in Jesus Christ. Theirs would be a life of making “disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Their single minded focus would be to “proclaim him (Jesus) by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that (they) may present every person mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28 NET). This was no Jesus vacation, no party here; it was mission with a purpose, and they followed!

Christ has the authority

In Jesus own words; He could claim this over their lives because “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” (Matthew 28:18). When you hear the call of Jesus on your life, you’re hearing sovereign God, the one who created you, who has preserved your life to this point, who claims your life for His purposes and His glory.

Today, I encourage you to be led by Jesus Christ and follow willingly. No matter if you know Christ already or not; whole-heartedly follow Him as Lord and be His fisher of men. Live Christ, share Christ, and enjoy Christ.

 

Deep within human nature is the hedonist; being devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification. When hedonism becomes the guiding belief which determines all other beliefs and behaviour, there can only be one outcome – idolatry. Why idolatry you ask? Because; to the hedonist “self” must dominate God. Therefore, everything and everyone is to be manipulated and sacrificed in the pursuit of personal pleasure. When the hedonist attitude gets into the church, conflict with God is certain.

Hedonism wrapped in Christian belief is not only a lethal weapon against the Church but a self-destructive disease. A spiritual condition which lures people onto a path in life which is “the highway to hell (which) is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way” (Matthew 7:13 NLT). It’s a popular road walked by the majority. Everything is evaluated by emotion; mocking God as being irrelevant and not fit for the purpose of pleasure.

Now, realise that God is not a kill-joy! “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil  and his lips from speaking deceit” (1 Peter 3:10). A God honouring life desires to love life and to develop that love for life through integrity and not selfishness or sin. If you cannot imagine joy without sin being involved, then you don’t need a new god, you need a Saviour.

Mankind was created in the image of God, therefore God is the ultimate reason and purpose for mankind’s existence (Genesis 1:26). Ultimate pleasure, fulfilment, and security is only found in a surrendered life under the leadership of our loving Heavenly Father. Just as “there is one God, there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus Christ is the only way to enter into a satisfying relationship with God. For the Christian, God is the greatest reason and meaning for life. When self steps up to the leadership role, God steps back, and you have idolatry.

It remains God’s constant desire for everyone to come to Him through repentance of sin and dependant faith. For mankind this is a problem. Why you may ask? Because sinful people want God to accept them on their terms without any change. They expect God to engage with them without having to deal with the sin that separates them from Him.

However, through Jesus alone “forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you” (Acts 13:38), and “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…” (Romans 10:9-10).

I encourage you to love life, love Christ, and resist hedonism. Follow Christ’s instruction to; “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

 

Ramah would be remembered for the twist on idolatry that changed the nation. It was a straight forward request that many would have thought to be harmless. Possibly it made good sense to some. However, as Samuel explained to Israel, if he was to appoint “a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5), this would cost them everything (1Sa 8:11-18).

But why, when on the surface it seemed to be a good idea? Because, beneath lay motives compelled by selfishness and idolatry. Although the Lord had foretold through Moses that Israel could “set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose” (Deuteronomy 17:14-15), they got it all wrong. Israel didn’t want the Lord to appoint a King at all. No, they wanted Samuel to appoint a King to replace Yahweh. One who would “go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20), doing away with the need for the Lord to win the victory for them.

The Mission Exposed

Make no mistake; idolatry has only one goal; total dominance over your life in place of Jesus Christ. Our arch enemy is not fussy as to which method of take-over he uses, just as long as the primary mission gets accomplished. Obviously, there may be some discomfort during the early days of migration from Jehovah to whatever. But as idolatry gradually pervades your thinking unnoticed, you become increasingly comfortable with it.

No wonder the apostle Paul bluntly tells us to “flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14). You see; anything that takes your preeminent position, other than the Lord, is idolatry. Ezekiel explained the offense of idolatry as anyone “who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face…” (Ezekiel 14:4).

It looked like this; people chose to make idols the center of their heart’s affections. They would acquire physical items which they would focus their affections on. Their attention would be directed at those idol things and in so doing they became guilty of worshipping them. Imagining their wrong affections to be OK, they would “come to the prophet” of the Lord (Eze 14:4), associating and blending their idolatrous affections with worship of Yahweh as if it was all good. How very wrong they were!

The nature of it

The stealth nature and seductive methods used by idolatry are often subtle to begin with, but remember its goal is to dethrone Christ as Lord. Don’t be fooled, it’s sneaky and devious in the ways that it messes with your thinking so that you increasingly accept it’s beliefs as genuine and OK.

Most of the time idolatry’s victims don’t recognise what’s changing. Behaviour, language, relationships, isolation from the Church, selfishness through the all-consuming “I, me, and myself” are some of the ways you can be seduced. These will take you through a spiritual metamorphosis allowing a non-Christ centred life-style to become the new and acceptable norm.

The familiar words offered by the apostle Paul are possibly the most concise remedy for us. “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Every form of thinking that challenges or dilutes the absolute truth of God being our only sovereign is to be fenced in by the Lordship of Christ.

Today, guard against subtle idolatry, not only in your life but also in the lives of those you care about. It’s believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who “glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).