June 23rd, 2026
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
Established, or Stuck in the Mud?
D. L. Moody told a story of a man who was asked by his ten-year-old son, "Daddy, why don’t you ever go to church with us?” The father replied, "I don’t need to go to church, my faith is established.” Later that day the man drove his horses out of the barn and hitched them to the buggy. As he and his son drove out of the yard, the horses became mired in a mud hole. The man tried in vain to extricate them, whereupon the boy observed "They’re not going anywhere, Daddy. I believe they’re established:”
What’s the difference between established (grounded) and stuck in the mud? There are people who never go to church services and some who go to church every Sunday who are still stuck in the mud. Sometimes we have issues with our purpose.
Why do you stay away from worship services or why do you attend regularly? Do you stay away so you can worship God? Do you attend services for that reason? True worship is the issue of our relationship with God. Religious acts mean nothing without a sincere heart.
If you are truly giving God your heart in every situation then you will not be stuck in the mud. However, to keep your praise to yourself is to mire your life in the quicksand of self-centeredness.
God created us for the purpose of worship. As I said in my sermon last Sunday, He has placed within us a God shaped hole in every heart that is filled only through worship. Unfortunately we often worship things that are the wrong shape? If you worship pleasure, you will be left empty. If you worship fame, you will only feel distant. If you worship material things you will feel poverty inside. God wants to fill you and keep you moving forward. To be truly established in Him you must place him above everything in your universe. If you refuse to worship him, you will only be established in the muck and mire of personal mud.
The Psalmist writes a song of worship through which his heart is elevated far above the heavens. In coming humbly before God he empties himself and cries out for an audience with the Almighty God so that he can lift him up. As a result, the Lord hears his desperate cries and lifts him above the world’s spiritual gravitational pull which would otherwise leave him in the mud.
“Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” –Psalm 66:16-20
If you seek him and his presence, he will hear your cry and strengthen your life with his amazing love.
Sunday we will continue with our series, BUT, GOD, with a message from Genesis 31 titled, “He Hears Your Cry!” Do you ever wonder if God hears you? One line from our Psalm says, “But God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.” If you feel a desperate need for God’s presence and for his attentive ear, come Sunday and see how God can respond to your cry.
Digging out of the muck,
Jon
Established, or Stuck in the Mud?
D. L. Moody told a story of a man who was asked by his ten-year-old son, "Daddy, why don’t you ever go to church with us?” The father replied, "I don’t need to go to church, my faith is established.” Later that day the man drove his horses out of the barn and hitched them to the buggy. As he and his son drove out of the yard, the horses became mired in a mud hole. The man tried in vain to extricate them, whereupon the boy observed "They’re not going anywhere, Daddy. I believe they’re established:”
What’s the difference between established (grounded) and stuck in the mud? There are people who never go to church services and some who go to church every Sunday who are still stuck in the mud. Sometimes we have issues with our purpose.
Why do you stay away from worship services or why do you attend regularly? Do you stay away so you can worship God? Do you attend services for that reason? True worship is the issue of our relationship with God. Religious acts mean nothing without a sincere heart.
If you are truly giving God your heart in every situation then you will not be stuck in the mud. However, to keep your praise to yourself is to mire your life in the quicksand of self-centeredness.
God created us for the purpose of worship. As I said in my sermon last Sunday, He has placed within us a God shaped hole in every heart that is filled only through worship. Unfortunately we often worship things that are the wrong shape? If you worship pleasure, you will be left empty. If you worship fame, you will only feel distant. If you worship material things you will feel poverty inside. God wants to fill you and keep you moving forward. To be truly established in Him you must place him above everything in your universe. If you refuse to worship him, you will only be established in the muck and mire of personal mud.
The Psalmist writes a song of worship through which his heart is elevated far above the heavens. In coming humbly before God he empties himself and cries out for an audience with the Almighty God so that he can lift him up. As a result, the Lord hears his desperate cries and lifts him above the world’s spiritual gravitational pull which would otherwise leave him in the mud.
“Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” –Psalm 66:16-20
If you seek him and his presence, he will hear your cry and strengthen your life with his amazing love.
Sunday we will continue with our series, BUT, GOD, with a message from Genesis 31 titled, “He Hears Your Cry!” Do you ever wonder if God hears you? One line from our Psalm says, “But God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.” If you feel a desperate need for God’s presence and for his attentive ear, come Sunday and see how God can respond to your cry.
Digging out of the muck,
Jon
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