Kōkua

Today’s ‘Olelo Hawai’i word is Kōkua. It means to help, to give aid, or to give assistance. It’s exactly what Paul was talking about when he wrote today’s passage. Kōkua is all about a spirit of generosity, of putting the needs of others ahead of your own.

Today’s Scripture

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ~ Philippians 2:4-5

Interdependency

In this passage of Scripture, Paul goes on to encourage us to be like Jesus in this regard, even willing to sacrifice our own lives in order to save others. I often talk about the true nature of Christian community. We are not called to live dependent lives, where we sit back and wait for others to do everything for us and never offer our help to anyone else. Likewise, we are not called to live independent lives, where we don’t accept help from anyone and insist on taking care of ourselves. Instead, we are called to live interdependent lives.

Practicing Kōkua

This is the true nature of community and this is what kōkua is all about. If every follower of Christ each puts the needs of others ahead of their own, in the end, someone ends up taking care of their needs as well. Some people think of kōkua as a risk though, they ask “What if I give aid and assistance to others and no one comes to my aid in return?” We have Akua’s promise that even if no one else comes to our aid, He always will.

Aloha! (I share my life’s breath with you!)

~~ Pastor G ~~

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