DanSardinas.net

Who do you think you are?

So far working at a classy hotel I've seen some VIP's pass through the lobby.  There are normal everyday people.  There are angry people.  There are hurting people.  There are stuck up people.  I see all kinds everyday.  It reminds me how unique people are.  Or is it that NJ has wierd people in it?  :)  Probably the coolest guest I have helped was a NY Yankee Hall of Famer.  A couple of months ago I had the privliege of checking in Richard "Goose" Gossage.  I have checked in a variety of people.  But you know what?  They are all people.  No matter how famous or how insignifcant they are in man's eyes; everybody I've seen has the image of God within them. 

The other day I had this lady very upset at me because she believed that her rooms were prepaid.  When I explained to her that they weren't she became upset at me.  Like it was all my fault.  With her eyebrows raised and her veins popping from her forehead she put her hand on the counter and said to me "Do I have to start screaming?"  I simply replied, "If it makes you feel better...go on ahead."  She didn't like my pastoral advice. :) LOL.  During that whole episode I had to chant in my soul. "LOVE WINS...LOVE WINS...LOVE WINS...".  What else could I do or say that would not have gotten me fired.  Her attitude went on to put herself above me as if she were much more important.  As if she were more human than I.  As if she was created more in the image of God than I?  This episode was more than just customer/service.  It escalated to a human issue.

Last week we had this convention at the hotel.  It was a group of more than 200 attenders for this thing.  Upon checkin there was this guy who wanted to checkin to the hotel 6 hours before he was supposed to.  Check in time is not until 3pm.  When I informed him of the Hotel Policy he responded.. "Do you know who I am".  He happened to be the Grand Master Puba or something like that.  In any case...I didn't care.  But his humanity was more than mine or any other guest that couldn't  check in earlier.

Jesus said in Matthew 22 "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Jesus also tells us on the sermon on the mount to "Love our enemies.  Pray for those who Persecute us."  Our enemies are made in God's image?  How we treat our enemies is a reflection on how we treat God.   Paul tells us in Phillipians 2 "Esteem others better than yourselves.How we treat others is a reflection of how we treat God.  We are image bearers.  Don't think your better than anybody else.  You are not.  And don't forget to chant "Love Wins...Love Wins...Love Wins." 

Love God....

If you love me, you will obey what I command.  John 14:15

In talking about what love truly is we need to look at the foundation of love first.  Love begins and ends with a Love for God.  If we fail to love God then how can we love anything else.  The bible says that "God is Love".  So to truly love is to truly know God.  As a matter of fact we are told that we are incapable of love unless we know God.  It's quite something to think about that fact...God is love.  Let that sink in.  Whenever we give our love away we are showing God to everybody who recieves our love.  So what is a simple test to know if you truly love God?  Well Jesus said in the verse above that if we love him ...then we will do what he says.   How can we claim to be lovers of God if can't love the things that God loves?  How can we be lovers of God we constantly disobey him? 

Love is a commitment that we make in our hearts.  You and I can choose not to love or to love.  It's up to us.  It's also up to us to be in tune with the things that God's heart is in tune with.  Your love for God should manifest itself out in actions. 

So here is the question.  How have you shown God that you love him?  What are you disobeying?  Are you concerned with the things He's concerned with?  A love for God is not half hearted.  A love for God is not without much passion or purpose.  God wants all of you.  God desires you to be close to him.  What or how are you doing in Loving God?  Don't just say it....do it.

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  Matthew 22:37,38

 

LOVE WINS.

  This coming Sunday we are going to begin a brand new series that will become our new theme for 2008.  The name of the Message Series will be "Love Wins." This theme will be something that I hope that will transform our church completely.  I feel so important about this concept that we are changing our ministry philosophy and purpose statement for our church to incorporate this attitude within us.  LOVE WINS. has three main components....

LOVE GOD...LOVE PEOPLE...LOVE the WORLD.  When we do those three things than we are involved in things that will last an eternity.  I will be blogging about each of these concepts for the next 3 weeks.  God wants all of us to show love no matter who we are to the entire world.  Come on Sunday to listen to the beginning of this message of 'LOVE WINS.'

Christmas Miracles

This past Sunday, I preached a message about unwrapping the Gospel in our lives.  We talked about how the Gospel is not just something that you proclaim with your mouths but it also something you proclaim with your lives.  I talked about how so many Christians focus on the beginning and the end of the life of Jesus to the neglect of the middle.  The Gospel is the good news that God has not given up on the world.  The gospel is the good news that there is hope when it seems like we are surrouned my a world of hopelessness.

I mentioned how strange it was that Jesus sent the disciples and the 70 away to preach the "gospel".  This gospel that they preached could not have been about the death, burial and ressurection of Jesus since that had not happened yet.  We were told that they healed people, casted out demons and just loved on people. 

I asked you to live this truth out in your lives.  I asked you to preach the gospel with your actions to a hurting world.  I am so glad that you were listening.  We presented two specific needs to you about two families that were struggling deeply this Christmas.  After the service scores of you came up with toys, money and food for these families.  Let me share with you what you did through your preaching the gospel.  Both of these families didn't have enough food to make it this week.  Both of these families (10 kids) in total did not have one single present for their children on Christmas morning.  One of these families was facing eviction from their apartment. 

On Christmas Eve, Pastor Brad and I took all of your love to these families.  We both witnessed miracles that night.  We saw the Gospel in a practical way.  We saw the following happen....

1 family will have a place to live and not be evicted this week.
2 familes will have enough to eat for at least a month (50 bags of groceries alltogether)
10 kids were able to wake up to a gift on Christmas morning that would have woken up to nothing.
2 families saw God's love for them in a very practical and tangible way.
2 families saw believers of Jesus truly be like Jesus

Thanks for letting me see the Gospel.  Thanks for letting me partake in a miracle!