The Law Of First Things

Colossians 1:18 NLT   Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.

As I was in prayer today I began to repent for things that over time I had allowed to begin to take away from my relationship with God. Things always seems to creep in slowly almost unaware to us until its to late and we realize that we have in some way or another allowed pleasures, sin, our job, family, or simply the stress of life bring separation in our relationship with God.

God longs for and deserves to be first in our lives. Sometimes we can get so caught up in working for the Kingdom, that we forget the one we are working for. This often times brings us to a place of weariness because we haven't spent the time needed everyday to focus on the reason we work so hard. The Bible says in Galatians to not grow weary in well doing for we shall reap if we faint not.

Matthew said, seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Here in our verse today Colossians 1:8, Paul states that Christ is supreme over all who rise from the dead, that's us believers, and  Is first in all things. Remember he paid a great price to be first in our lives, so let us set in order the law of first things and watch as Christ begins leading us back again into a healthy, growing relationship that restores joy, love, passion, and spiritual strength.
                                                                       All for Christ, Pastor John

Let's stick together

1 Corinthians 12:14  For in fact the body is not one member but many.

Most regions of the world are familiar with the amazing phenomenon of snow. Snowflakes are beautiful, uniquely crafted ice crystals. Individual snowflakes are fragile, and they quickly melt if they land on your hand. Yet together in masses they create a force to be reckoned with. They can shut down major cities while creating beautiful landscapes of snow laden trees whose pictures decorate calendars become the work of artwork. They provide pleasure on ski slopes and joy for children as they make snowmen and snowballs. Why you ask? Simply because they stick together.
   So it is with each of us who follows Christ. Each of us has been uniquely gifted with the capacity to make a contribution to the work of Christ. We were never intended to live in isolation but to work together to become a great force for God and the advance of his cause.
Put your giftedness to work , joyfully cooperate with the giftedness of those around you, and let the wind of the Spirit use you for His Glory!     

                                                                       Be Blessed, Pastor John

  What we talk about

Psalm 19 says: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord.

You my or my not be familiar with the saying "great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." Obviously there are ways to speak of people that would bring great honor to them. But with this saying it show cases our darker side of this evil flesh we so desperately need to conquer. In a world that has media both social and professional we are continually confronted with people's lives at a level of intimacy that can be inappropriate. 

  

   What makes it worse is this tidal wave of personnel information about others could be grist for our new conversational mills to the point that gossip becomes the norm, and and it's not just about the rich and famous. Our friends, coworkers, church members, and families can be targets of these sharp tongues and become wounded from something that should never even happen. How can we escape our inclination to use word to hurt others? By recogninzing  that the ultimate hearer of words is God, who longs for us to be better than that. With the psalmist we need to pray,"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight O Lord."

       Pray this with me: Father forgive me, for the times my speech crossed the line of inappropriate. Help me to understand the power of words, and give me wisdom to use them well.

                                                              Be Blessed, Pastor John

The Value Of Good Thinking

Paul wrote to us in Philippians 4:8  and said, "And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (NLT)

James Allen said "Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results."

This is the Law we know as sowing and reaping. First we must understand this law doesn't just apply to our money. Because its God's law it applies to everything we think, speak, and do. We know that if we plant corn, nothing but corn can come from that seed. People understand this law in the natural world, but few understand it in the spiritual world.

It is obvious that what we think, is what we become. Proverbs says "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." So it is obvious that poor thinking produces negative progress. Average thinking produces no progress. Good thinking produces some progress, but great thinking produces great progress! Yet, one of the reasons people don't achieve their dreams is that they desire to change their results without changing their thinking.

So lets remember, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." If your thinking shapes who you are, then it naturally follows that your potential is determined by your thinking.

                                                    Be Blessed,
                                                  Pastor John

"What to do with life's cares"

1 Peter 5:7 NLT tells us, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you."
I know we have all been there in our lives when it seemed like everything that could go wrong went wrong. Joseph Parker's advice to preachers: "Preach often to those with troubled hearts" In our verse today the word tells us to cast all our care upon him. Such a compassionate and personal offer from our Lord. Sadly today we live in a very impersonal world. The age of big business and numbers, social security, insurance policies, credit cards you name it. Now scanners and computers and a foreshadow of the antichrist that will come and assign every person a number to be able to buy sell or trade. But God still knows you as an individual! God doesn't keep track of his children by cosmic computers, instead John 10:3 says he knows them by name. God wants a individual relationship with us. In Luke 19:1-10 we see the story of Zacchaeus hiding in a tree and Jesus finding him says come down, for I must go to your house today! The women who touched the hem of his garment, the children he laid his hands on and prayed for them. And listen dear friend God has time for you! And he invites you to place all your cares on him and rest in his perfect peace!

                                                                Blessings, Pastor John

Thy Kingdom Come or My Kingdom com

"Thy Kingdom come or My Kingdom come?"

 

  I was asked recently why we did not see the miracles that we read about in the bible, and my reply was, where are the men that we read about that performed those miracles under the power of God.

 

 God is looking for those kind of people today, to bring his plans from the spiritual realm into the physical realm.

People who have submitted everything, there entire will to him.

We are God's body on this earth and as Christians, it's our responsibility to completely bury our on self will and become consumed with doing his will.

A Spirit of submission must come over us as the" Church", or we are never going to accomplish what God has called us to do.
This was Jesus last prayer before the cross, John 17 -" That they be as one." Jesus was saying in order for my dream to come true, I'm going to need a dream team! People that put aside their own will and submit to his will. People that will grow up and mature in Christ so we can put aside our differences and not be scattered by segregation, splintered factions or torn by ruthless power struggles! Sadly, we are better at talking about his will than doing it. We cannot sincerely pray, "Thy Kingdom Come" until we have legitimately prayed, "My Kingdom Go"

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor John Cannon



 

 



What were they thinking?

Have you ever said what were they thinking? I know I have and I have said it to myself, what was I thinking? The is truth we all have had those words come out of our mouths at one time or another. As I grow in the Lord and dig into his precious, powerful word, I find that we can literally form our lives by what we think and say. In Proverbs it says "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." Also in Proverbs Solomon tells us" The power of life and death are in the tongue." As I began to meditate on this the Lord began to show me the importance of taking complete control of our thoughts. In the book of 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul tells us "Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

The truth is your life today is a result of your thinking yesterday. Your life tomorrow will be determined by what you think today. So I ask you, what are you thinking about today? We must realize that what we think will lead to what we do, so we must first allow the Holy Spirit to transform our minds through the power of his word. Only then will we began to get rid of our stinking thinking! Paul admonishes us in Philippians 4:8 to change our thinking! "Whatsoever things are true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things.

If you are willing to change your thinking, you can change your feelings. If you change your feelings, you can change your actions. And changing your actions based on good thinking can change your life.
So today I challenge you to take control of your thoughts, which in turn will lead to a changed life!
Every day when you get up say to yourself, I can control my thoughts. My feelings come from my thoughts. I can control my feelings by controlling my thoughts!

Remember this, good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad results and actions can never produce good results!


                                                                       Be blessed, Pastor John