Pastor Alex Pacheco
August 1, 2004 - W0431

How often do you feel like there's too much to do and not enough time? So often, our lives get overloaded. Our schedules get too busy. Our budgets get overwhelmed. Yet, why does this happen? Why do we try to do too much? Often it’s because we forget what matters most so we try to do everything.

As humans, we have an amazing capacity to remember some things and forget others. For example, we often remember things that hurt us and forget God's lessons. However, with the limited time we have on this earth, we need to be wise about how we spend our time. In Psalms, David prayed, "Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be" (Psalms 39:4). "Teach us to make the most of our time…" (Psalms 90:12).

Knowing that our time is limited, we need to remember three truths that will help us focus on what is important. And if we will follow, apply, and practice these truths, we will have a healthier life, a happier family, and a more productive business. There would be far fewer separations and divorces in our society if we would just listen to what God says about relationships.

THREE TRUTHS TO REMEMBER EVERY DAY

TRUTH #1:  THE BEST USE OF LIFE IS LOVE!

"Let love be your highest goal" (1 Cor. 14:1a NLT).

What the Bible is telling us here is that Love should be our highest priority. We must make it our primary objective, our greatest ambition, and our life purpose. Why? I'd like to suggest two reasons:

1.      Because God says love is what life is all about. "No matter what I say, what I believe and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love" (1 Cor 13:3). God isn't just saying that loving relationships are important to life. He is saying that loving relationships are life.

I would like your participation today in the following way: from time-to-time I will say, "Get it?" You respond, "Got it." And I will say, "Good."

Loving relationships are your life. Get it? Got it! Good.

A Pharisee once asked Jesus what the greatest commandment in the Bible was and Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind….and Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22:37-39). Jesus is saying that the point of life is relationships. It's not about achievements and acquisitions, but about love. What matters most is loving relationships. 

If this is true, why is it that when we get busy we fulfill all kinds of other commitments, but skimp on the time and attention we give those we love? When we get busy we get preoccupied and distracted with less important things. We focus on the urgent rather than the important. As a result, we spend all of our time finishing work, making money to pay bills, and accomplishing goals as if that's the point of living…but it’s not. The point of life, God says, is love. The point of life, God says, is relationships.

2.      The other reason God says love is important is that it is the only thing that lasts. "There are three things that will endure -- faith, hope, and love -- and the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13:13).

We often think and behave as though it's our achievements people will remember but that's not true. When people are on their deathbeds they never say, "Bring me my diplomas," or "I wish I put more time in at the office." We don’t surround ourselves with objects in our final hours. We want to be surrounded by the ones we love. The truth is that everyone realizes this someday, but rather than wait until the last moments of our life, why don't we acknowledge that now. Life is not about achievements and accomplishments; it's about relationships.

Now that we know life is about love, what is the best expression of love?

TRUTH #2:  THE BEST EXPRESSION OF LOVE IS TIME!

How do you spell love?  T-I-M-E. The most precious and desired gift is time because time is life. Your life is made up of a bunch of moments strung together…time. Time is your most precious commodity because it is limited, predetermined, and we never really know how much of it we have. When we give people your time, we are giving them a part of our life -- ourselves --- something we will never get back.

Time is the best expression of love. Nothing can take the place of time. "We must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words" (1 John 3:18). Get it? Got it! Good!

Let me talk to the men for a moment. Men, we don’t get this! When we ask our wives what they want for their birthday or our anniversary, what do they say? They want our eyes. They want our ears. They want our time, attention, and focus. They want US!

Now, let me say something very serious to young couples: children need parents who will spend time with them and if you're not going to spend time with them, don't have them. You see, nothing can take the place of time. All the money in the world cannot replace time with your wife, your husband, your children, or those you love. Whenever we give our time, we are making a sacrifice. We are sacrificing our life and that's what love is all about. It's about sacrifice. "Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and give Himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins" (Eph. 5:2).

You see folks, if it's not a sacrifice, it's not real love because we can give without loving, but we cannot legitimately love without giving. Love is the essence of sacrifice. Love means giving up! It means giving up our ambitions, preferences, a particular activity that we enjoy so much that we do alone, my energy – in essence it is giving up our time and preferences for the benefit of someone else. It is a sacrifice. Get it? Got it! Good!

A lot of things can rob a relationship such as work, hobbies, TV, computers and sports, as a result, many of us may be in a time-starved relationship that is shrinking and drying up because of a lack of time and attention. So in order to revitalize a dying relationship, it has to start with us investing more time.

Let me share something with you that I share with married couples all the time:

The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. The grass is greener where you water it!

Keep in mind that if you are watering somewhere else, whether it is your job or whatever else it may be, it will get greener. However, what about your relationships? Some of us may need to make some corrections in our lives and start watering where it’s most important – our relationships. Get it? Got it! Good! 

So the first truth is, "the best use of life is love" and the second is, "the best expression of love is time." And here is the third…

TRUTH #3:  THE BEST TIME TO LOVE IS NOW!

Now! Not next week. Not when things settle down. Not when we reach a certain standard of living. It is now. Get it? Got it! Good.

"Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone…" (Gal. 6:10).

"Use every chance you have for doing good" (Eph. 5:16).

"Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it. Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now" (Prov. 3:27-28).

There are some things in life for which procrastination is an appropriate response because some things are just not as important and we ought to put them off. However, since love is the most important thing and it is the top priority for life, any time we choose something over a loving relationship, we have just made [can I say this in church?] a dumb mistake…a wrong choice. Get it? Got it! Good!

Why is now the best time to express love? Because we don't know how long we will have the opportunity. Circumstances change. People die. Children grow up and they leave home. And we’re not guaranteed a tomorrow. If we’re going to express love, we better do it now.

One-time presidential candidate George McGovern wrote this advice to other parents after he lost his daughter to alcoholism at a young age, "Show more love to your children by spending more time with them especially during their younger years, no matter what it costs. That way, neither of you will have any regrets." Then he writes this, " I'd give everything I have -- I mean EVERYTHING -- for just one more afternoon with Carrie just to tell her how much I love her and have one more of those happy times that we used to have too infrequently."

You see folks, the question is not whether we're ever going to regret this frantic-paced, and stressed-to-the-limit lifestyle that some of us tend to live. The only question is when.  When it's too late? After our family has fallen apart? If you have children, the time to love them is now.

Who do you know who is starving for attention? Do you know what that answer is?  Everyone! Everyone is starving for attention. So what are you going to do about it?  Are you going to change or are you going to stand before God one day and explain why you thought things were more important than people? What excuse are you going to give for not putting first things first in your life?

Remember, the best use of life is love. And the best expression of love is time. And the best time to love is now. Get it. Got it! Good.

Now, many of you came to church this morning thinking that that's what you do on Sunday mornings and you've been sitting here for about an hour and a half or better. You're probably thinking church is almost over and soon I'll be out of here! But I want to remind you that church has not actually started yet.  Church starts when you walk out of these doors.  We can sit here in service, hear one of Pastor Wayne's excellent messages and say, "Good message Pastor Wayne," but if you do not apply it to our lives, it's nothing. So church does not begin until you walk out of these doors and apply it to your life. Amen? Amen!

DISCUSSION TOPICS

1.      Until now, what have you considered priorities for your life and how has that affected the way you've been living?

2.      Is your life overloaded? How can you tell?

3.      Who do you need to start spending more time with and why?

4.      What do you need to cut from your schedule to make more time for relationships?

5.      Is there a financial sacrifice you need to make for things that really count?

Thanks to Jaylene Tsukayama who sacrifices her time, talent, and energy to serve God with all her heart!  Well done!