April 16th, 2024
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
Jesus in My Heart
A little boy was being scheduled for open heart surgery. The surgeon sat beside the boy's bed and his parents sat across from him. The surgeon said to the little boy, "Tomorrow morning, I'll open up your heart." The little boy interrupted the surgeon and said, "You'll find Jesus there." The surgeon looked annoyed and continued, "I'll cut your heart open to see how much damage has been done." The little boy quickly said, "But when you open up my heart, you'll find Jesus there." The surgeon looked at the parents, ignoring the little boy, "When I see how much damage has been done, I will know what to do next." Again, the little boy said, "But you'll find Jesus in my heart. The Bible says He lives there. You'll find Him in my heart."
The surgeon had enough and he said to the little boy, "I'll tell you what I'll find there. I'll find damaged muscle, low blood supply and weakened vessels. I'll find out if I can make you well." Once again, the little boy said, "You'll find Jesus there. He lives there." After surgery, the surgeon sat in his office recording his notes from the surgery: "damaged aorta, damaged pulmonary vein, widespread muscle degeneration. No hope for transplant, no hope for cure. Therapy: painkillers and bed rest. Prognosis:” he paused before recording his next words, "death within one year." He stopped his recorder and sat there. Then he asked aloud, "Why? Why did You do this? You put him here. You put him in this pain. You cursed him to an early death. Why?" Then the Lord began to speak to the heart of the surgeon, "The boy was not meant to live long on this earth. He belongs to Me and soon he will be with Me forever." Hot tears started running down the surgeon's face and in anger he said aloud, "You created that boy, and You created that heart. He'll be dead in months. Why?"
Then the Lord spoke to the heart of the surgeon, "I sent the boy to reach you and make you one of My children." Later the surgeon sat down beside the little boy's bed; the parents sat across from him. The little boy awoke and whispered, "Did you cut open my heart?" "Yes," said the surgeon. "What did you find?" asked the little boy. "I found Jesus there," said the surgeon.
The best thing that can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime is to receive the Lord Jesus Christ into their heart. Of course, this heart is not the muscle that pump’s blood to the body. The heart Jesus infiltrates is the spiritual one that is connected to our minds. When we make him Lord of our lives, he moves in and takes charge of our way of thinking and living. He becomes the driving force of our lives. Whether we are young, old, rich, poor, healthy or sick, Jesus lives there and directs our paths.
When you surrender your heart to Him, He takes over and leads you to the best end anyone can experience. That end is actually the beginning. The chapter left behind is the physical existence we once knew and the beginning is our eternal life with him. Our message this Sunday is about a woman who needed Jesus and what He had for her. She knew he was coming and had heard of His miracles. Her answer was to Reach Out to Jesus. According to Luke 8:42-48, she touched His garment and received His healing touch in return. Join us this Sunday and see what it means to REACH OUT TO JESUS and to receive Him into your heart for all eternity.
Keeping Him in my heart,
Jon
Jesus in My Heart
A little boy was being scheduled for open heart surgery. The surgeon sat beside the boy's bed and his parents sat across from him. The surgeon said to the little boy, "Tomorrow morning, I'll open up your heart." The little boy interrupted the surgeon and said, "You'll find Jesus there." The surgeon looked annoyed and continued, "I'll cut your heart open to see how much damage has been done." The little boy quickly said, "But when you open up my heart, you'll find Jesus there." The surgeon looked at the parents, ignoring the little boy, "When I see how much damage has been done, I will know what to do next." Again, the little boy said, "But you'll find Jesus in my heart. The Bible says He lives there. You'll find Him in my heart."
The surgeon had enough and he said to the little boy, "I'll tell you what I'll find there. I'll find damaged muscle, low blood supply and weakened vessels. I'll find out if I can make you well." Once again, the little boy said, "You'll find Jesus there. He lives there." After surgery, the surgeon sat in his office recording his notes from the surgery: "damaged aorta, damaged pulmonary vein, widespread muscle degeneration. No hope for transplant, no hope for cure. Therapy: painkillers and bed rest. Prognosis:” he paused before recording his next words, "death within one year." He stopped his recorder and sat there. Then he asked aloud, "Why? Why did You do this? You put him here. You put him in this pain. You cursed him to an early death. Why?" Then the Lord began to speak to the heart of the surgeon, "The boy was not meant to live long on this earth. He belongs to Me and soon he will be with Me forever." Hot tears started running down the surgeon's face and in anger he said aloud, "You created that boy, and You created that heart. He'll be dead in months. Why?"
Then the Lord spoke to the heart of the surgeon, "I sent the boy to reach you and make you one of My children." Later the surgeon sat down beside the little boy's bed; the parents sat across from him. The little boy awoke and whispered, "Did you cut open my heart?" "Yes," said the surgeon. "What did you find?" asked the little boy. "I found Jesus there," said the surgeon.
The best thing that can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime is to receive the Lord Jesus Christ into their heart. Of course, this heart is not the muscle that pump’s blood to the body. The heart Jesus infiltrates is the spiritual one that is connected to our minds. When we make him Lord of our lives, he moves in and takes charge of our way of thinking and living. He becomes the driving force of our lives. Whether we are young, old, rich, poor, healthy or sick, Jesus lives there and directs our paths.
When you surrender your heart to Him, He takes over and leads you to the best end anyone can experience. That end is actually the beginning. The chapter left behind is the physical existence we once knew and the beginning is our eternal life with him. Our message this Sunday is about a woman who needed Jesus and what He had for her. She knew he was coming and had heard of His miracles. Her answer was to Reach Out to Jesus. According to Luke 8:42-48, she touched His garment and received His healing touch in return. Join us this Sunday and see what it means to REACH OUT TO JESUS and to receive Him into your heart for all eternity.
Keeping Him in my heart,
Jon
Recent
BETRAYALThe Upward Look, by Jon Forrest Betrayal There is not a more bitter feeling on earth than the one that comes when the closest of friends or a family member emotionally stabs you in the back. When the one person who should have your wellbeing foremost in his/her mind turns on you and throws you to the wolves, the pain travels to the innermost part of your psyche. Such betrayal has led to lifelong vendettas that resulted in debris fields of wounded and wrecked lives. Lifelong wars have been fought by the closest of friends and relatives. Often, the ones who are targeted for injury by revenge are not the only ones who receive the devastation. Everyone around them is torn asunder as collateral damage. You’ve seen it; two siblings who refuse to speak for the rest of their lives over the division of their parent’s estate, or once best friends who now take every opportunity to tear down the reputation of each other. Such wounds spawn physical and emotional violence for a lifetime. They cause words that pour forth from the cesspool of nastiness that takes over the mind of the betrayed. There has never been a more bitter response to such betrayal as when the perception has been that one was betrayed, stabbed in the back, thrown under the bus or left holding the bag by our loving heavenly Father. Yes, there have been times when people have felt as if God turned his back on them. Where was God when my spouse got sick and died? Where was God when my mother’s boyfriend was molesting me or my siblings? Where was God when my child was struck by a car and killed? Where was God when I lost my job, my house, my car, my reputation and more? JUST WHERE WAS GOD in the most difficult times of my life? Does God betray his people when life goes sour? Jesus was betrayed into the hands of the evil religious people for crucifixion by one of his closest friends, Judas, and felt betrayed by his heavenly Father when he cried out from the cross, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” One of God’s greatest apostles, Paul, prayed three times that God would remove his (unspecified) thorn in the flesh, but God did not speak until the third time, only to announce, “My grace is sufficient for you!” However, neither Jesus nor Paul turned in bitterness to God. Jesus embraced his cross because he knew that God’s plan was to save the world by turning his back on his only sinless Son in order to make a way of escape from eternal punishment for their sins. Paul accepted God’s refusal to heal him for the sake of his own betterment to keep him from the danger of arrogance after taking part in so many supernatural visions from God. Joseph, the 11th son of Jacob experienced betrayal from his jealous brothers who sold him into slavery and pretended that his father’s favorite son had been slaughtered by a wild beast. When he continued to trust God and it seemed God was about to rescue him from his slavery, his hopes were continually dashed by set back after set back. He could have easily rejected God as unjust and a God who betrayed his faithfulness over and over. But, he didn’t let his faith waiver. He kept obeying God and serving with tremendous integrity and faith year after year, setback after setback, betrayal after seeming betrayal. But, when all was said and done, he learned that God actually had a plan to use him to save his people and to honor him in ways he never thought possible. If you think God is not there. If you think He has betrayed you. If you think God will never allow you to “catch a break,” just wait! He has plans for you that you do not know. He is watching you and protecting your eternal life! The day will come when the entirety of his plan will be revealed and you will know that God has had your back all along! This Sunday, Josh McVey will bring a message about the life of Joseph from Genesis 37 – 46 and Psalm 23 titled Rising from the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Plan to come and find comfort and encouragement from this message from God’s Word. Faithful with you, Jon
October 20th, 2025
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October 14th, 2025
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October 8th, 2025
WHAT TO DO WHEN THE SKY IS FALLING
October 1st, 2025
IS IT NECESSARY?
September 24th, 2025
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WHAT TO DO WHEN THE SKY IS FALLINGREACHING OUT TO THE UNREACHABLEBRING THEM TO JESUSBETRAYALThe Upward Look, by Jon Forrest Betrayal There is not a more bitter feeling on earth than the one that comes when the closest of friends or a family member emotionally stabs you in the back. When the one person who should have your wellbeing foremost in his/her mind turns on you and throws you to the wolves, the pain travels to the innermost part of your psyche. Such betrayal has led to lifelong vendettas that resulted in debris fields of wounded and wrecked lives. Lifelong wars have been fought by the closest of friends and relatives. Often, the ones who are targeted for injury by revenge are not the only ones who receive the devastation. Everyone around them is torn asunder as collateral damage. You’ve seen it; two siblings who refuse to speak for the rest of their lives over the division of their parent’s estate, or once best friends who now take every opportunity to tear down the reputation of each other. Such wounds spawn physical and emotional violence for a lifetime. They cause words that pour forth from the cesspool of nastiness that takes over the mind of the betrayed. There has never been a more bitter response to such betrayal as when the perception has been that one was betrayed, stabbed in the back, thrown under the bus or left holding the bag by our loving heavenly Father. Yes, there have been times when people have felt as if God turned his back on them. Where was God when my spouse got sick and died? Where was God when my mother’s boyfriend was molesting me or my siblings? Where was God when my child was struck by a car and killed? Where was God when I lost my job, my house, my car, my reputation and more? JUST WHERE WAS GOD in the most difficult times of my life? Does God betray his people when life goes sour? Jesus was betrayed into the hands of the evil religious people for crucifixion by one of his closest friends, Judas, and felt betrayed by his heavenly Father when he cried out from the cross, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” One of God’s greatest apostles, Paul, prayed three times that God would remove his (unspecified) thorn in the flesh, but God did not speak until the third time, only to announce, “My grace is sufficient for you!” However, neither Jesus nor Paul turned in bitterness to God. Jesus embraced his cross because he knew that God’s plan was to save the world by turning his back on his only sinless Son in order to make a way of escape from eternal punishment for their sins. Paul accepted God’s refusal to heal him for the sake of his own betterment to keep him from the danger of arrogance after taking part in so many supernatural visions from God. Joseph, the 11th son of Jacob experienced betrayal from his jealous brothers who sold him into slavery and pretended that his father’s favorite son had been slaughtered by a wild beast. When he continued to trust God and it seemed God was about to rescue him from his slavery, his hopes were continually dashed by set back after set back. He could have easily rejected God as unjust and a God who betrayed his faithfulness over and over. But, he didn’t let his faith waiver. He kept obeying God and serving with tremendous integrity and faith year after year, setback after setback, betrayal after seeming betrayal. But, when all was said and done, he learned that God actually had a plan to use him to save his people and to honor him in ways he never thought possible. If you think God is not there. If you think He has betrayed you. If you think God will never allow you to “catch a break,” just wait! He has plans for you that you do not know. He is watching you and protecting your eternal life! The day will come when the entirety of his plan will be revealed and you will know that God has had your back all along! This Sunday, Josh McVey will bring a message about the life of Joseph from Genesis 37 – 46 and Psalm 23 titled Rising from the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Plan to come and find comfort and encouragement from this message from God’s Word. Faithful with you, Jon
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