What Have You Done For Him Lately?

What have you done for HIM lately?

James 2:14-17 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

The beginning of my junior year, I began a new area. I was starting a new school, a Christian school, the first of its kind in the state of WV. There was a thing called, “The book protest”. My sophomore year, I can remember missing a lot of school as part of that protest. So my dad who was a pastor had the God given vision of starting a Christian School. I didn’t want to go there. I had finally found a sport that I was good at. (Wrestling) They didn’t offer that at the Christian School. But after a few days of brutal beatings, I decided that it would be in my best interest to go.

We had kids from all around. I made many new friends. But the first day of English class, the teacher (Ms. McMillian) had us write an essay on what we had done that summer. I had had a pretty eventful summer that year so my pen was moving quickly with ease. Then the next day she read the essays out loud to the class. When she got to mine, she stood there in shock. You see that summer I had spent a lot of my time volunteering at the church camp and I would perform magic shows for the kids. The main trick that I did was that I could show you an empty top hat and with the wave of a wand, I would produce a rabbit. Quite the feat for a 16 year old in that day. The problem in the teacher’s eyes was not the trick, but the spelling. She could not believe that an 11th grader could not spell rabbit correctly. I wrote that I would pull a rabbite out of my hat. She was in shock over me and had the whole class laughing at my stupidity.

But I can say that I ended up learning more in the two years of Christian School then I did in the 11 years in public. No joke, I had one teacher who told me that they did not want me in their class again so they was going to pass me with a D-, so they would not have me as a repeat attender.

My point is that we have told stories about what we have done this past summer. How would you rate your time spent? The title of tonight’s message is, “What have you done for HIM, GOD, lately?” In 1986, Janet Jackson come out with a song, “What have you done for me lately?” In this song she talks about her boyfriend and all the things that he used to do for her, but then she goes back and ask him, “What have you done for me lately?” Sounds like her boyfriend has gotten complacent in their relationship. I believe the same thing happens in the lives of a lot of Christians. When they first get saved they are excited it and want to share with others, but in time, our relationship with God becomes a routine and we just go through the motions.

In a relationship, it should be about give and take. If you have one person who is doing all the giving while the other is just doing all the taking. That is not a healthy relationship. And that should be true with our relationship with God. It is not just what He has done for you, but what are going to do for HIM? Let me remind you of a few things that Jesus has done for you so that you can answer the question of what you are going to do for HIM.

HE was born for you!

We celebrate His birth each year with Christmas, (Even though he was actually born in the spring). Christmas, for sure, is my favorite Holiday. Now other than the fact that His birth was miraculous by the virgin birth, what other ways make His birth so special. First of all was where he was born. The Jews were looking for a king. You would think a king would be born in a palace with servants to answer His beaconing cries. But instead he was born in a stinky smelly barn.