Pastor Elwin Ahu
November 26, 2006 - W0648

What gift do we give to people we love? During the Christmas season, we get so caught up in the merchandising frenzy stressing about what gifts to buy for one another. Yet we often overlook a most precious gift we already have.  

GOD’S GIFT TO US: ONE ANOTHER

This Christmas let’s think about how we can best love one another. The Bible says: “You must love the Lord you God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt. 22:37-39) Therefore, when we understand these two commandments, all the rest will fall into place naturally. Thus by honoring these two commandments we give God and others the most desired gift.

Why then is it so tough to do? It’s hard to love when things change in relationships or when someone gets on our nerves. How do we love them by following these two commands? Well, the Bible says “by His grace we are saved”. Likewise, we need to extend grace to others in the same way. Nevertheless, it’s hard to do and perhaps that is why we spend so much time looking for gifts to buy. In an effort express a gesture of love, the gift though nicely wrapped sometimes lacks substance. In other words, do we exchange gifts and cards that really convey the love God wants us to extend to others? Or is it just way we rationalize to substitute that love? The question still remains: How do we love one another? Sometimes we find it easier to leave a job rather than love a co-worker we don’t seem to get along with. We find it easier to cope with a situation rather than finding resolution. We would rather just go to church instead of challenging ourselves to extend love the way God intended by getting involved.

“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar’; for he who does not love his brother whom e he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” (1 Jn. 4:20-21 NKJV)

If it was our natural inclination to love others, the Lord would not have to remind us so many times. Nevertheless, this is God’s commandment not merely a suggestion in order that we may have a fulfilled and fruitful life. So the question is not what gift do we buy; rather, how do we value the gift we already have? Let me give you three points that will help. The first is…

1.     LOVE IS SPELLED TIME.

Love always involves a sacrifice and Jesus set the example: “This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers…Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth.” (1 Jn. 3:16-18 NIV)

In other words, a sacrifice is something that involves value. And as I look around today, it seems the greatest value we have is our time. We feel we don’t have enough time yet find it hard to pull ourselves from the busyness. The irony is that in our busyness technology has progressed to the point that it allows us to be so accessible. Still at the same time, we are inaccessible to the meaningful things in life like developing the relationships God wants us to extend love to.

Even worse is that we are so focused on careers and making a living that we sometimes fail to make a life. And it’s not that making a living and working hard is a bad thing, but there needs to be a balance. In essence, our busyness sometimes keeps us from developing relationships with people God surrounds us with. Studies reveal that parents spend an average of thirty minutes daily with their children. And when we do, what does that mean? Are we really present and engaged during that time? If we are not careful, the same standard will be perpetuated from generation to generation.

I have to admit, I am guilty of that myself. I justify my busyness as doing things for the Lord – ministry, devotions, etc. However, it became so apparent one night when I came home from work and my son Jared was reading his picture Bible. He didn’t come to greet me in the usual way and said to me, “I can’t play with you now daddy, I’m busy”. Then it occurred to me that when Jared comes to sit on my lap, I have told him the same thing, “Not now Jared, I’m doing devotions”. It’s not that we should excuse ourselves from ministry or devotions, but God doesn’t want us to neglect the important things in life. Our families, our relationships are God’s gift. Don’t wait till it’s too late to spend time with them.   

So we must be reminded that time is not a commodity to be kept. Really, it’s to be given away. We cannot out give God. In fact, sometimes we think we give in order to bless others. Yet often it is we who are even more blessed than those receiving.

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”

 (Mt. 25:40) You see, God knows that when we give of our time, He is so honored and blesses that. The question is: Who is it that you need to spend time with this Christmas? Who is it that you need to ask or extend forgiveness, to reconnect to?

And it’s not just time. The second point to remember is…

2.     LOVE VALUES POTENTIAL MORE THAN PERFORMANCE.

To love one another requires us to value one’s potential. The Bible gives us an example of this kind of love. Jesus demonstrates His love for Peter despite the fact that Peter denied Jesus three times. Still, regardless of all the times he messed up, the Lord still called him to ministry. Jesus never gave up on Peter. Instead, He valued his potential apart from past performances.

On the other hand the Pharisees accepted or rejected someone based on performance. For that reason, they could not understand why Jesus would dine with sinners. “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick…for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mt. 9:12-13) You see, Jesus always based His love on someone’s potential choosing to see beyond their past mistakes. Perhaps that’s why we find it so difficult to love. We tend to offer or withhold love with condition of fulfilling our own expectations.

And if we are not careful, we begin to lose respect for others. However, it’s important that we understand that respect is seeing inherent value in other people regardless of performance. How do we maintain that respect? We must realize other people are created differently. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Prov. 22:6)

Each of us has natural tendencies and personalities and we cannot force anyone to be someone they were not designed to be. Sometimes we need to look at a performance not as a measure of someone’s worth, but as a way to understand their personality and style. And in doing so, we must adjust to that understanding and love them according to His love. Finally, love is not just spending time or valuing potential in others. The last point to remember is…

3.     LOVE REFUSES TO REGARD ANYONE AS A LEFTOVER.

God takes pleasure in the most unexpected, in what the world would consider as throw-away and will use them to accomplish His plans. “…but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and…the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong…” (1 Cor. 1:27)

It’s so true. The Bible talks about how He used a murderer to deliver His people out of Egypt. His disciples were ordinary men called to change the world. In fact, just look at the leadership of our church who come from diverse backgrounds. Who would have thought! Yet He sees potential in each of us and takes whatever we have to use for His purposes.

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.” (Ps. 139:13-14 NLT) God uses the most insignificant things to bring about the most extraordinary miracles. He used a simple shepherd’s staff to part the Red Sea. He used a single stone to bring down a nine foot giant. He used a little boy’s five loaves of bread and two fish to feed over five thousand people. Our God believes in people and their potential regardless of their past.

The same is true of our church. New Hope’s Spirit of Aloha program has a culinary ministry at Farrington High School. It’s a program which takes borderline, at-risk students and gives them a second chance. It is about people taking the time to believe in others regardless of their past history and envisioning who they can become.

His greatest commandment says to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. The second is equally important:  to love others as ourselves. Thus the best gift we can give one another this Christmas is to love others unconditionally believing in God’s best for their lives. Be sure to spend time with those God surrounds you with because time is a precious commodity we must give away. And lastly, no matter what mistakes we’ve made, remember that God never regards anyone as leftover.

Discussion Questions:

1.      What gift are you going to give this Christmas?

2.      What does spending time with your family mean to you? Who do you need to spend more time with at Christmas?

3.      Do you feel you love according to expectations you have of someone? Do you see their potential regardless of performance?

4.      How can we begin to understand and appreciate the differences in the way God’s created us and maintain respect for and value others for who they are?

5.      What most impacted you about today’s lesson?

  "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong with our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NLT)

 Sermon Notes Ministry: Debbie Chang, Doreen Rabaino, Leighton Loo,

                                                Jay Tsukayama & Rhonda Pang