PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: STUFF
Pastor John Collins: Jesus says love one another, not our stuff.
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| Things do not have value emotionally unless we give them that value~Pastor John Collins photo courtesy Google images |
Our things, the things we get attached to, the things we
think we can’t live without with is simply just stuff. Our hearts are supposed to be focused on
Jesus and the walk that it takes to get to our Father in heaven, not the junk
we keep in the garage, on the mantel, in the cedar chest.
When we place extreme emotional value on possessions we are setting ourselves up for failure spiritually ~ Pastor John Collins, May 2018.
Stuff is just stuff.
Hurricane Lane is heading to Hawaii as this is being
written. There will be damage to
property, loss of belongings, possibly loss of life associated with it. It is probably going to be among the worst hurricanes
to hit Hawaii in a long time. How will
those affected react? How should those
of us who are not affected react? Pastor John Collins would say that we should be praying for those caught in the storm,
and those caught in the storm should be placing their faith in God and Jesus to
bring them through….sadly that is likely not going to be the common
reaction.
The true value of life is life. Not stuff.
What do you want to
inherit?
Pastor John Collins writes:
"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
Where is your heart?
What do you care for? Maybe it’s
time for you to stop and look around and decide to value your life, not your
stuff.
Pastor John Collins broadcasts weekly at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Mountain Time on www.heavenscountry.com
and AM and FM radio stations to an audience of over 4 million around the world.
It’s time for a revival, and it’s time
to change our hearts, preaches Pastor John Collins.
That change is coming.
Pastor John Collins preaches to save souls, to bring people
to the Cross, for salvation. His style
is down to earth and plain spoken, with passion and clarity that hasn’t been
heard for a long time. It doesn’t matter to Pastor John whether you like him or
not, but what does matter is if he makes you think and change your life so that
you can gain your way to heaven. There
is a choice of heaven and hell, and Pastor Collins is determined to bring as
many to the foot of the Cross, to Jesus and salvation that he can. He is in it
to win it for God.
"We messed this world up one person at a time, one church at a time. Now we're here to fix it one person at a time, one church at a time." ~ Pastor John Collins, Evangelist, John Collins Ministries.
reposted with permission of original author
