JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES DAILY THOUGHTS: GOD AND WOMEN

From John Collins Ministries: 

“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.” John 20:16-18 (NKJV).

Mary Magdalene believed in Jesus, sought Him out, anointed Him with oil, wept on His feet and wiped those feet with her hair. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, learned from Him and was a disciple of His. Mary was the one that Jesus chose to see first after He was resurrected. Mary was brave and humble when she went to Him in that house of the Pharisee as she cared not what others thought of her, nor spoke of her but cared only to go to Jesus and kiss His feet and seek His forgiveness and His acceptance and Jesus not only gave that forgiveness, accepted her love for Him but spoke that she would be remembered for her actions and He demonstrated her value when He chose to go to Mary first and to give her the honor of knowing He was alive and to relate that information along with her witness of Him to his brethren.

It took courage to follow Jesus during His ministry and it took faith to know Him as the Son of God. Mary had that courage and had great faith in her Lord. There were dark centuries that followed the beginnings of the Christian faith. There have been centuries of oppression of not only the uneducated but of women as well. Women have come a long way from the days of the dark ages, of the days of education denial (for many parts of the world, anyway), and from the denial of equality of the genders. Women push forward in their search for that equality and for the opportunities to make their mark in this world but I want to remind women that their mark has been made and has never been taken for granted by God. God values women and Jesus demonstrated the love that He had for Mary by going to her first, by teaching her and standing up for her. Women should never forget that their value begins in the home, for they are the caretakers, the bringers of life and the mothers of our children. Do not underestimate the value of those things as being a mother allows you to teach your children how to get to heaven, how to live boldly and with faith in this dark world and being a wife allows you to help your husband be a part of a family that relies on God. A woman’s role does not have to be one thing or another but it should always be a role of strength and dignity with love and compassion at its core. That is the love of God within you and God has provided women with the complex ability to keep a family together and to guide it in love and faith with trust and truth at its center.

There always seems to be an agenda on the table and as progress ticks away and women continue to fight for what they believe to be most important to them I can only hope that they remember to value what has always belonged to them from the beginning. Family is everything and while equal pay may seem to be the biggest priority to some this world seems to be allowing the family to fail. Industrial success will never replace the failures of our homes and women need to find the courage, like Mary, to believe in our Savior and to brave the opinions of others to declare their loyalty to Him as they live up to the great responsibilities that have been entrusted to them. It is not easy to choose faith over finances, faith over popularity, faith over apparent success or faith over personal gain but in the end heaven is waiting and families need strong women to guide them.

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 (NKJV)

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Read more about John Collins Ministries or reach me, Pastor John, at John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHT: BULLYING

From Pastor John Collins:

In response to a question about people who claim to be Christian in their business and in their lives and yet treat people with contempt and dismissal, I have this to say:

The Catholic Church used to use ‘ex-communication’ as a threat to hold over people that included the added horror of dying while in such a state of separation from that church that would lead to being buried in unhallowed ground.

Guess what?  Every bully is known to God.  Who is one person, one church, or one group to determine who can belong to God and who is not welcome among His people?  Who is to determine who His people are?  The bully who uses you in the name of God and then discards you with a threat of slandering you amongst fellow Christians is in fact one of the tares being allowed to grow alongside the wheat and in the end will be plucked up and cast into the fire.

If you are among the lied about, slandered about and bullied about, have no worries because God has got your back.  The big thing to do is to not feed the fire which means that you do not have to be confrontational and ‘prove’ your righteousness but let you light so shine before others that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

There is something to be said for taking the high road because God will always lead you home if you are truly following Him.  If you allow God, then He will bring you new opportunities to have fellowship, have business and have a life that is righteous and true as long as you have the trust and the patience to let Him work.  Some things and people may be removed from your life and some may be introduced into your life.  Just remember that you don’t have to prove a thing to any man as it is God who should concern you and He is more than capable of seeing you through this trial too.Your true Christians friends will be there support you as well.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life; and there are few who find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV).

 

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

#pleasesharethis

John Collins, Evangelist, John Collins Ministries is always available to talk.  He can be reached through John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES DAILY THOUGHTS: CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS

From John Collins Ministries:

"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 (NKJV).

“And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” Luke 2:40 (NKJV).

Jesus came to be our Savior, to teach us and to die for us. As you go through life, you are to look to Jesus to care for you, to guide you and to strengthen you. The human spirit is strong and can withstand more than you could ever imagine.

Jesus is strong in spirit and knows your weaknesses. He knows what scares you, what intimidates you and what you avoid. Jesus is there to help you face your fears and conquer what you thought you couldn’t. Jesus will listen to you and will help you.

Faith in the Lord allows your spirit to have courage. Hope in the Lord allows your spirit the freedom from worry and that confidence allows you to serve the Lord honestly. The human spirit is capable of being beat up, smashed down and trampled upon and it will still get up and fight. The spirit of a person is a gift from God and faith in His Son is the eternal blessing.

If you are in the need of encouragement just look to Jesus and His life and you will find it. Look to the character of Jesus and you will find the beauty and grace of God. Look to the Son to find the hope of all of your tomorrows and you will know that the spirit that is inside of you is made of strong stuff indeed.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

Read more at John Collins Ministries or reach Pastor John personally at www.johncollinsministries.com

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHTS: LET US BE CHRISTIANS

From John Collins Ministries

:

“And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord’ 

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” Luke 4:17-21 (NKJV). 

Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law. He came and taught, performed miracles and healed. He showed us the Father and the way to heaven. He is everything that is beautiful and true.

Jesus suffered and died and rose again. He lived for us and died for us and lives for us again. We love Him and we thank Him. He is our Savior, our hope and our constant comforter. 

Let us rejoice today in the gifts of the Father. Let us rejoice in Christ our Lord. Let us hold love in our hearts and kindness on our lips. Let us be thankful for the salvation of the Lord.

Let us be ready to forgive and let go of hurt. Let us be full of faith and loyalty to our Creator. Let us love one another as Christ has asked us to. Let us be Christians!

“Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.’” Luke 4:42-43 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins

Read more about John Collins Ministries or reach Pastor John, at John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES DAILY THOUGHTS: FALLEN DOWN ON OUR JOB!

From John Collins Ministries:

“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NKJV).

We have fallen down on the job people! When did we get lazy in raising our children, apathetic in watching the downfall of our society, encouraging in sinful behavior and unwilling to be part of the solution while loving complaining about it all. When did the blame fall on everyone else’s shoulders while we stand and watch our country burn?


We are systematically ruining our existence and doing nothing worthwhile about it. Why? Because not enough people want to stop their own nonsense long enough to make a change first. Everyone wants the other person, party, gang, opposition etc. to give in first because they all want to win. Stubborn, selfish, foolish pride and egos will tear families apart, tear cities apart and tear this country apart.


We have got to get to a place where the choice to do right, stop doing wrong become ours as a whole, not just individually. We need to find our humanity amongst each other and choose to be God’s people and not our own people. In the end, the choice is up or down and there is nothing in this life that is worth stopping you from going up. Whatever fight is being fought, whatever battle is being lost or won, whatever argument is being raged and whatever moral decay is the price that is paid is just not worth it.

God is what matters, no matter how often people want to deny that fact, it remains a fact. Jesus is what matters and our commitment to walking the path that He has designated for us is what matters. The violence, the drugs, the alcohol, the hatred, the partying, the greed, the lust, the pride, the status, the betrayal and pain of it all is just so base and such a waste of time. Choose life by choosing Jesus.

“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, BELIEVE THAT, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Read more about John Collins Ministries or personally contact John Collins, Evangelist, at John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: CHRISTMAS, NEW TRADITIONS

FROM JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:24-25 (NKJV).

Christmas shopping season is here and before you run out and break the bank, overload the credit cards and spend hard earned cash that you should not, please rethink this holiday season!!

One of the hardest lessons to learn in life is restraint. When to restrain yourself from acting, from speaking and from reacting in a manner that is expected from you. Just because the world, especially the United States has come to drive buying in excess to please our loved ones in some kind of celebration for the birth of Jesus Christ for some and just an excuse to shop for others does not mean that you need to buy into the nonsense.

Jesus Christ was NOT born on December 25th. Although you may believe that you are celebrating Him when your family opens its gifts on that cold December morning, I promise you that Jesus would rather you not go into debt, not struggle to pay your bills in order to buy those presents and He would rather you not buy those gifts and would rather you restrain yourself from the manic need to “show your love” through material means.

Jesus is about love, salvation, hope and eternal bliss. Don’t make this year the same as all of the rest instead choose to make this year a new tradition that includes all of the love and faith that you can summon with all of the joyous celebration that you can endure without partaking of the “Christmas Traditions” that celebrate materialism and not God.

And for those of you who have small children, please learn restraint. Christmas is not about filling up the space under the tree. If you do buy gifts, restrain yourself and limit your purchases. One gift is lovely and if opened with Jesus on your mind and not yourself, then that is a pure and true rejoicing in Him and not the excuse to give and receive. We should never think of Christmas as if it were OUR BIRTHDAY and therefore our right to receive gifts and the same goes for our children. It is not their birthdays. This holiday season, learn to restrain yourself.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN BELIEVE THAT!

To read more or to contact Pastor John Collins, see www.johncollinsministries.com.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES DAILY THOUGHTS: LOOKING BACK

From Pastor John Collins:

“Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:24-26 (NKJV).

Lot’s wife looked back. She was leaving family, her home and fortune, her status and God knew her love for these things. So often the people of this world find their identity in the family that they have created, in the things that they have acquired and in the social standing that they have established. There is also a time in which a person’s life may feel the most bountiful and full which they may at times ‘look back’ on and regret where they are or resent where they are.

Every choice, whether good or bad, for our lives takes us a step closer to where we will end up and we should never regret the bad nor place extreme attachment to the good. The bad gives you a testimony to a life lived that has brought lessons and wisdom and should therefore be savored as it is an opportunity to help another avoid similar mistakes. The good should be cherished for the appreciation that it gives you for the simplicity in the human experience that will bring you joy. The need is for you to always look forward with hope and use the knowledge of both so that your decisions can become more and more righteous with every step of the way.

Jesus Christ provides salvation, forgiveness, love, wisdom, knowledge, hope, peace, joy and a truly compassionate heart that will carry you on your journey. To know the Lord in truth is to choose to obey His commands and to keep your perspective in life. Keep it simple, don’t take things so seriously as to find yourself always offended, always defensive and always ready to strike out. Use the wisdom gained in your life to bring hope to another, to find peace in your heart and to forgive as you have been forgiven. Don’t long for yesterday, find acceptance in today and hope in tomorrow.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Read more or contact John Collins, Evangelist, John Collins Ministries through www.johncollinsministries.com.