PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: NO SATISFACTION

From Pastor John Collins:

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NKJV).

Do you dream of a new car, a bigger home, a better wardrobe, fine jewelry, a boat, or that special addition to your collection? Are you satisfied with your looks or do you need your hair done, nails done, waxing, lifting, sculpting, tucking or just some good work-out time? Are you in need of a vacation, down-time, family time, you-time and just a great round of golf?

Do you waste food, water, time, effort? Are you happy? Do you even think about your eternal soul? Do you care?

Most people today are not satisfied with their lives. They are complainers and they are planners. They have goals to meet and most of them end with a material benefit to themselves. People want to win the lottery and to have no financial worries. And people sure are proud of the ‘stuff’ that they accumulate in their lives whether it is their clothes and accessories or their homes and cars and toys, they love to take pictures and to show it all off.

No matter how much you gain financially in this world you cannot take anything with you when you die. People can tell themselves whatever they need to in order to justify their obsession with finances and material things but the truth is that we can all live with less and all learn to be content with what we have and with what we don’t have. It does not take a fancy house, a fancy car or money to make anyone happy or worry free; that is a lie that many believe.

True wealth comes from above and few are they who can claim it. To have real riches is to know that Jesus died for you and that through submission to Him and obedience to Him is to have a home in the kingdom of God.

“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11 (NKJV)

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: STUFF

From Pastor John Collins:

Jesus wants us to love one another, not our stuff. Giving and
receiving mercy, compassion. love, empathy is what matters.
Pastor John Collins

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’” Matthew 19:23-24 (NKJV).

We have all heard this saying and we all know that the rich often struggle with greed and materialism. But what about those that are not filthy rich and those that have even less?

What happens in the heart of a person that places great emotional value on possessions? What about that quilt that grandma made, those pieces of jewelry from mom, that set of china from great-aunt Susan, or those baseball cards from grandpa, not to mention the furniture that has been passed down and the T.V. that you worked so hard to buy and add to the living room that brings you such pride and joy because you have better than when you were a kid?

When we place extreme emotional value on possessions we are setting ourselves up for failure spiritually. We may have had an impoverished upbringing that drives us to have better and more and when we attain that we place such value on the things that prove how far we have come. We begin to connect with the stuff in our lives and that begins to breed greed and materialism in our hearts.

We must be able to recognize that stuff is just stuff. People that have lost everything in a storm, fire or other tragedy know that the true value in life is life itself and we are to be thankful for the breath that we have in our bodies. Having faith is meant to keep us grounded in what matters. We must know that we came into this world with nothing and we are sure to carry nothing out of this world. You may care about who gets what while you are here on earth, but once you are gone, I can assure you that it does not matter who has your diamond necklace or china set or even your house.

We can be strange creatures at times by attaching emotional value to things. Things do not have value emotionally unless we give them that value. When you connect with someone, when you give and receive love, mercy, compassion, nurturing and empathy, these things matter. When we have moments in time that express these feelings and share them with others, these things matter. It is not the item that connects you or sustains you, it is the human connection that carries you through.

Jesus wants us to love one another, not our stuff. He wants us to walk together toward the kingdom, not a lawyer’s office to decide who gets what. Jesus wants us to care about the lives and destination of our loved ones, not the things that show what we have inherited or attained in our lives. We should care about going to heaven and not proving how far we got on earth.

“When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:25-26 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS. PASTOR JOHN COLLINS