What is your calling?

I want to just quickly mention something before we get into the heart of what we're gonna talk about the Christian life is not all about Bible study we understand that don't we I mean I can just imagine somebody getting a misconception from our emphasis on the Bible and the importance of the Bible from this and maybe the misconception they might get is the idea that that's the only thing that's important in the Christian life that Bible study is the beginning and end of what we do as Christians and if you're good at Bible study you don't be good at anything else in the Christian life listen that's not true at all and let me tell you how I know that Bible study is not all there is to the Christian life because the Bible tells me there's more to the Christian life than Bible study it's actually understanding the Bible and it's message that tells me prayer is important worship is important serving God his people in an eating world is important living out the Christian life in whatever sphere that he gives me all of that is important so we never want to either tell ourselves or give the impression to other people that the only thing that's important in the Christian life is Bible study but proper study of the Bible will lead us into everything that's important in the Christian life it's revealed to us in and through his word and one of the most important things and kind of the theme that we have here at the end is this whole idea of how we can impact our world how we can make a difference in the world through understanding what the Bible says about that and what I bring it back to is a simple idea and what I'm gonna focus on and our time together in my last teaching session with you is the whole idea of calling now I don't anybody to raise a hand because I don't want to make anybody feel self-conscious if you were to raise your hand or not raise your hand I just want you to consider for your self do you have a sense of calling and purpose in your life do you have an adequate sense of calling and purpose in your life or do you feel like alright I have zero sense of calling and purpose I have a little sense of calling and purpose and I wish I had more or do you feel like hey I'm good I got a sense of calling and purpose and I'm pressing ahead with it if you guys are typical of people of your demographic or whatever you want to say then many of you are kind of aching for a greater sense of calling and purpose in life it's not that you feel that there's not one out there for you you just don't know what it is I think the Bible gives us real guidelines on how to uncover to understand to embrace whatever calling and purpose God has put on our life because I tell you you are going to impact the world by understanding your calling and purpose in life it's a very simple proposition God has created you for a purpose and for a reason in this world for you to understand the purpose and reason and to pursue it the best that you can that's a sweet spot of your life again what we're not trying to say Oh everything's gonna be wonderful and easy and beautiful in life but at the core of it all it's gonna mean that you fulfill the purpose that God has given you on this earth and to me in so many ways and so many purposes it comes back again and again to that simple idea of calling now calling is a big and significant subject in the Bible you can think of the many different Bible characters who had an experience of calling here's the ones that come to my mind immediately Noah Abraham Moses Gideon David Isaiah Jeremiah John the Baptist's Debra Elizabeth Mary Matthew Paul all these in some way or another had some kind of definite experience of calling where in some way somehow God revealed to them not just a job to do but something that would fulfill their purpose on this earth I believe that in some way or another God has that for you we are not just thrown into this world you were sent into this world there's a philosopher Martin Heidegger I always mispronounce his name is that the right way to say Heidegger's name Martin Heidegger German philosopher he came up with a philosophical term that comes from the German word to throw it's actually a made-up word but he give orphan height is the name of the word and what it means is thrown Ness and that's how he described us in the world he said listen you got a reckon with the fact as a human being you are just thrown into the world and if there's a god up there maybe there is maybe there isn't but if there's a God he just grabs you like a paradise and threw you into the world and however you'll and that's how you'll and give orphan height was his idea listen let me tell you the biblical truth is a hundred and eighty degrees opposite from that you were not thrown randomly into this world you were sent into this world with a calling and a purpose and God wants you to understand it to the best of your ability again you may not be able to understand it completely but you'll be able to ascend an and you're going to make a connection with something that the entire world is aching for one the best books that I ever read on the subject of calling was by a guy named oz Guinness he's a pretty good Christian author and um oz Guinness related an amazing story on the subject of calling that he experienced when he was teaching at a conference near Oxford in England so let me just read you a paragraph from oz Guinness here he says he's recounting the words of another speaker okay so this is another speaker oz Guinness is telling us what he said quote as you know I've been very fortunate in my career and I've made a lot of money far more than I've ever dreamed of far more than I could ever spend far more than my family needs the speaker was a prominent businessman at a conference near Oxford University the strength of his character and determination showed in his face but a moment's hesitation betrayed deeper emotions hidden behind the outward intensity a single tear rolled down his well tanned cheek and this is what the guy said to be honest one of my motives in making so much money was simple to have money to hire people to do the things that I don't want to do but there's one thing I've never been able to hire anyone to do for me find my own sense of purpose and fulfillment I'd give anything to discover that that's remarkable and I don't blame Guinness for putting that in his book the idea that here's a successful man again this kind of beyond my comprehension someone who's more made more money than he could or his family could ever spend because I know I could spend some money that man has made a lot of money he's been successful in these things that he's done but he still aches inside because despite the six city's had in life he knows that there is a calling and a purpose for his life that he has not yet fulfilled and he would give anything to be able to grab on to it now God wants you to live with the blessing of something that that man could never purchase with the blessing of having a sense of your own Kingdom calling now the idea of calling is very significant in general terms in the Christian life our kingdom calling means that God calls you to have a new life in him and that God honoring life in him listen to these two verses I'm gonna read about calling I'll get the galatians chapter 1 in a minute galatians chapter 1 is paul describing his own calling and what we can learn from that let me step back a little bit and just give you some general understanding about calling here's romans chapter 8 verse 30 moreover whom he predestined these he also called whom he called these he also justified and whom he justified these he also glorified the idea being what being simply this that calling is an aspect of God's life in every single believer in a very general sense in that he calls you from darkness to life but also in a specific sense that he has a purpose for you you're not give our fan height you're not just thrown into the world you are sent with purpose and calling here's another one from 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 9 where he says this who has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began again a very general sense that God has called you but but God has another aspect of calling for you to consider I can say with great confidence I know that God is called you to follow him and I know that God has called you to be faithful in your present circumstances listen to these verses 1st Corinthians chapter 7 verse 17 as the Lord has called each one so let him walk that's another way of saying be faithful right where God has placed you a 1st Corinthians chapter 7 verse 20 let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called again just another way of saying be faithful where you're at 1st Corinthians chapter 7 verse 24 brethren let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called calling begins for you right now sometimes we think that calling or whatever it is this purpose this destiny that God has to me man that's going to begin at some later point on the calendar man calling begins when I get married man that's it that's when calling begins no no calling begins when I have kids oh man that's when calling begins and then you'll find yourself thing calling begins when the kids move out and that's when calling begins and you'll always have a reason for thinking of calling is something that's in the future and there's there's absolutely true sense that God has a calling on your future but won't you understand calling and faithfulness and it begins right here and right now now all of those are general I can say that to be true about every one of us in this room but don't you believe that there is a specific sense of calling that God has for your life Paul talks about the concept of running your race you have a race to run in your pursuit of God and it's not the same as mine we have an individual calling not that the rules apply for us differently sometimes I get really annoyed with Christians who act like that look i-i've you know as a pastor I've sat in my office and seen guys look at me in the eye and say that the rules God has in the word about adultery well it doesn't really apply to them they have like this special arrangement with God and that note listen there's a sense in which in general we have a calling that's all the same but individually for purpose and function in God's kingdom there's something very personal and individual that God has you we find this pattern in Scripture the holy spirit called Paul and Barnabas to a special work that's in Acts chapter 13 verse 2 and Paul was called to be an apostle I'm not called to be an apostle you're not called to be an apostle but the Paul but Paul was called to be an apostle and you got to say that in basic terms this matter of calling is very simple you were created by someone that someone created you for some thing and you have a purpose in life beyond enjoying the good things of this world I'm gonna say that again because it is such a counter-cultural statement to say that you have a purpose in life beyond merely enjoying the good things of this world now I hope you understand the way I phrase that there's nothing wrong with you enjoying the good things of this world God has given us many legitimate comforts and pleasures to enjoy in this world we shouldn't feel guilty about enjoying what God has given us to enjoy while at the same time recognizing that our purpose in life goes beyond the simple enjoyment of those things that we can enjoy even the good things of this world and wake up very empty very unfulfilled because we've never pursued and grabbed a hold of and followed after God's real calling and purpose for our life so it comes down really being that simple but how do you really come to the place where you understand and perceive and walk in your kingdom service well really this gets back to some of the same themes that we've been talking about throughout our previous sessions I would say simply it begins with you knowing God you you want to know your place in the world begin with knowing God and if that seems counterfactual to you then just run with it anyway you're gonna know the most about yourself and your place in this world by first deciding to know God remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you you make a priority about seeking God and God will put other things into place but I wouldn't say that it ends with seeking God it also means not only knowing God but then in a secondary sense it also means knowing your self knowing who you are can help you to understand why you're here look every one of you has a story every one of you is something unique by your birth by your upbringing by your culture by your class by other factors around you by your education by your lack of education whatever it is God has put all of those factors into you and in some way they have an influence a contribution a direction towards a calling that he's given you you see all of these things are important who you are by birth is important who you are by your upbringing environment is important who you are by your training and experience is important because when God uses a man or a woman he doesn't erase their personality God's not looking for robots in his servant among his servants if he wanted robots he'd make him he'd make a clone army and just do it that way but that's not what God is interested in God is interested in using individuals who are made in His image each one in some way individual with their own you know mix that they bring to it all and I'll tell you those things are not accidents in your life you are by birth my birth is not an accident who you are by upbringing an environment is not an accident who you are by training and experience it's not an accident God has arranged these things and timed them and use them to make the person you are today now how does this get to Paul's experience of calling I'm glad you asked turn to Galatians chapter one are you there okay one more caveat before we talk about Galatians 1 I need to give two important warnings two important warnings number one don't expect absolute certainty in advance regarding your calling now I feel that I am as certain of my calling as a person can be I don't doubt my calling but I've been walking in my calling for the last 40 years you can't expect to have the certainty about your call that I have about mine don't expect absolute certainty about your calling in advance it just doesn't work that way and when you step out to fulfill certain aspects of your calling it's going to require faith you know what faith sometimes is sometimes faith is stepping out without absolute certainty if if you could go out on a venture and be absolutely certain that it would succeed would it really take much faith to do it no no man this is great I got to say I'm sure that when Brian and the team here we're getting ready and planning this event they were not absolutely certain that this many people would show up they thought that you know we might be having this in a phone booth or something like that it's funny I would say a phone booth because you know I have phone booths anymore but you get what I mean I mean but it took some faith to put that on now faith is this important step in going out and fulfilling your calling and the biggest impediment to faith is our fear and especially our fear of failure I gotta say that this is especially relevant when it comes to Christian service by the way are you guys aware that when I'm talking about calling I'm not talking necessarily about Christian service what we wouldn't normally think of as ministry that this do you guys get that I mean your calling in life maybe to be a godly Christian man single or married and to be a great honest auto mechanic in your community listen that's a calling and may God give us more like that because we could use some honest auto mechanics or whatever it is you want to say teacher mother this kind of worker that kind of worker what when I talk about calling please do not associate it only with Christian service in ministry it may include Christian service or ministry certainly includes something that's beneficial in furthering God's kingdom absolutely it does that but whether or not it means that you'll be in full-time Christian service or part-time Christian service or some formal role or recognition that may or may not be the case at all but what I simply mean is this is that especially when it comes to Christian ministry I see people crippled by a fear of failure they don't want to step out and do something because they're afraid it might fail and I'll tell you there was a point in my life where God really called me on that and this is what the Lord said to me I mean he didn't speak audibly but this is really what I sense God saying to me God said to me something like this David do you know what your fear of failure is it's pride because God showed me I didn't mind failing if nobody else saw it I only minded failing if other people saw me fail that showed me that it wasn't the actual failing that really bothered me it was the idea that other people might see me as a failure that is what really bummed me out I didn't want anybody to think of me as a failure and there's only one word for that bride I mean I don't know what else that is so we have to put away the desire for certainty secondly and again this is right before we get in Galatians chapter one your calling flows out of who you are but your calling is not your most fundamental identity in other words me being a pastor and a Bible teacher that flows out of Who I am but pastor and Bible teacher is not my most fundamental identity my most fundamental identity is as a son as a servant of God that's it that's what I am at the core I could take away those other things and still be a son and a servant of God so we need to remember calling is tied to who we are but it does not define who we are before any pastor is called as a shepherd he's also a sheep and this is who we are we relate to God on that most fundamental basis all right now let's get the paul sense of calling galatians chapter 1 beginning at verse 15 you ready for this galatians chapter 1 verse 15 but when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace to reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the Gentiles I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me but I went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and remained with him 15 days but I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother now concerning the things which I write to you indeed before God I do not lie afterwards I went to the region of Syria and Cilicia and I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which are in Christ but they were hearing only he who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy and they glorified God in me I think and look I'm getting a little nostalgic because this is the last list I'm gonna give to you in my teaching time with you here's 10 characteristics of calling from Galatians chapter 1 verses 15 through 24 now I tell you the number 10 right up front because whenever a preacher starts giving a list and he starts getting like into four and five there's always an anxiety level among the listeners like how long is this list gonna go come on man she's gonna go up to thirty forty ten and we're gonna move through them fairly quickly but the first ones I think are very important Paul's call was evident to himself we sense this when he's writing about his calling here in Galatians chapter 1 starting at verse 15 do you sense any like any ambiguity oh maybe I'm called to this maybe I'm not maybe God chose me for my mother's will maybe not know the whole tone the whole tenor of this is confidence Paul was confident in his evident sense of calling now again this is 15 years after his conversion maybe there was some period of years when Paul kind of struggled man am I called am I not I don't know I need to figure this out what's my calling I don't get it don't feel weird if you're not confident in your calling right now but I believe God wants to lead you into the place where eventually you are confident in your calling that your calling is evident and again I have to say for me um I don't have any doubts about my own calling I feel like God has made it evident to me and through me what he's called me to be and do in Christian service and for his kingdom so number one calling should be evident to yourself number two Paul's calling was both expected and unexpected there's this strange paradox maybe even irony in us in some ways you could look at Paul's life and say well of course he was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles I mean after all Paul was trained as a religious scholar he was zealous he was educated he had this unique upbringing in two cultures I mean after all his Jewish friends called him Saul his Roman friends called him Paul I mean he was raised up in two coats he was this strange Jewish rabbi and Pharisee who was also a Roman citizen I mean how often did that happen so on the one well it's perfect it's totally natural the poet good that God would call him to be the apostle to the Gentiles but then you turn it around another way are you crazy it's the weirdest thing in the world that God would call him completely unexpected this guy hated Gentiles he would have nothing to do with them he hated Jesus he hated Christians he hated Gentiles and he had a lot to give up for the cause of Jesus Christ it's like no way God would call him to be the apostle to the Gentiles but he did now in the calling God places upon your life don't be surprised if there's some things that make sense oh yeah I could see that how that would be the calling God's put on my life and don't be surprised if there's some other things that are like why did God do that that seems weird both of them can coexist I tell you what that's how it was for my life there was a sense in which my calling was expected in the sense that some of the character and I don't say just um personality or or who I was as a person was molded into me from childhood so what my calling is today it's kind of hard to explain that the best way I could explain it is to tell you that I don't know how many years ago it was my mom gave me a folder of all my old school records from when I was in school so I did what anybody would do with that I grabbed it and I put it away somewhere and I never looked at it then a few years ago I got it out for some reason we were just kind of cleaning out things and consolidating things and I looked like oh hey wow what's this look at this it's my elementary school records and so I started read through my elementary school report cards let me read you some of those kindergarten David is most observant and retains what he takes in david has a large vocabulary and enjoys using new words he's quick to reason and likes problem-solving he loves being challenged and is quick to use new words in their proper context he's very much curious about the world and its people and my kindergarten teacher also paid tribute to my playground skills especially my ability to skip apparently that was important now look something about that curiosity the interest in words the interest in a vocalization those kind of things that stuff was in me a kindergarten first grade David is exceptional at expressing his ideas well in writing these things of my interest and whatever ability I have in writing those were things that God put in me that could be noticed at first grade fourth grade David has a great enthusiasm for learning especially in areas in which he takes a special interest david is a real spark in the classroom with his marvelous eye ability to verbalize his insights you know what's he's saying he won't shut up that's what she's saying it's very kind teachers speak um fifth grade David could be a bit less talkative but this is David's best way of helping others he's so eager curious and interested in everything around him that often I feel he's like a time bomb ready to explode now look this interest in words in vocalization in learning and being curious about things that fits in exactly with the calling that God gave me to study understand and speak about his word and that's not something that I earned I look back on those things in a way that I never understood until I read those you know records from years ago I go man Lord that's something you created just like Paul could say that there was some sense and from his mother's womb he had called us I said Lord from my mother's womb you put these things and call it was expected in me and I'm telling you in the same way through what God has made you by birth what he's made you by your upbringing what he's made you by your education what he's made you by your lack of education whatever it is God has a purpose and a calling for all of those things now that's the expected part of it the unexpected part of it and like this is crazy I don't even get it completely but look for whatever reason I hope you understand I mean I'm I'm not trying to you know make something of myself that I'm not but I have written a commentary on the entire Bible that some people find helpful and that's kind of a big deal I mean it was a big deal to me and the fact that people use it I mean it's just not like some weirdo in a basement doing it let you know like a Unabomber or something like that and nobody cares I mean there's people find it helpful now look what's weird about that to me I have no formal Bible or seminary education none I don't say that the boast I certainly don't say it to say that it's unnecessary I believe in formal Bible education I believe in seminary education I'm just saying that it's really weird for me that God used this guy to write commentary who didn't have those things that's weird so part of my calling I say yeah great expected I get it another part of my calling it's like Lord why did you do that I don't get it I think it's gonna be the same way for you expect some things to be natural and flow out of who you are but not everything some things will be a surprise here's another point a third point Paul's call was not something he took to himself look at verse 15 verse 15 it says but when it pleased God God was the author of his calling and you need to understand that real calling for God's kingdom it isn't something that we take to ourself it's not the same as our ambition it's not the same as our desires now ambition and desire may have something to do with it I don't think that God says all right whatever it is it's going to make you most miserable in life that's what I'm calling you to no I don't think that's it at all but what I'm just trying to say is calling doesn't come from us it may come through us in our life experiences but it's not just something that we decide on look when it comes to the whole Bible Commentary thing in me I never set out to write Bible commentary never matter of fact you could say still today I don't set out to write Bible commentary I won't get into the whole story because I don't think we have time we definitely don't have time but let me just say this is through some very strange circumstances I found out that what I prepare for myself as teaching notes was helpful for other people is Bible commentary I am as surprised as anybody that people use my teaching notes for Bible commentary and it helps them now I'm delighted by it praise the Lord I'm thrilled by it but I never set out to do it and there's a sense in which calling is not just a matter of ambition or achievement it's something that God puts in the mix next point number four Paul's call was through God's grace look at it here in verse 15 he says but when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace do you know what grace is grace is the undeserved favor of God you don't deserve it it's given completely apart from whether or not you deserve it and what that means is no one should ever feel proud about their calling God gave it to you as the undeserved gift of His grace to feel proud of your calling is to be blind to think that somehow you deserved it or earned it it's just not how it works true calling is a gift of God's grace number five paul's call was independent of other people look at verse 16 he says i did not immediately confer with flesh and blood in other words when paul began to walk in his calling he didn't go to the other apostles and say do you think i'm called do you think I'm called approve my calling Paul's call was not self originated we already talked about that but neither was it given to him by anybody else it was bestowed upon him by God and what a difference that makes not self generated but neither is it bestowed from somebody else because let me tell you something if somebody else bestows you're calling on you and then they can take it away as well but if God grants it then God is going to do something with it now let me give you the flip side to it and the flip side to it is right there as well verse 18 says and this is point number 6 Paul's call was in cooperation with men verse 18 he says I went to Jerusalem to see Peter in other words other people did the calling of God on his life and they recognized it look there's kind of two things that we have to hold in tension here the one thing is the call God puts on your life it's not self-generated nor is it given from other people but on the other side of the coin other people will be able to see it in your life maybe not everybody but at least some other people look if you think you got a call from God on something in your life but nobody else can see it in your life you probably need to reconsider look I've known some people who really feel like they have the gift of teaching it's just nobody else has a gift of listening to them maybe maybe if you have the gift of teaching somebody else is going to be able to see it in you again maybe not everybody there's always some naysayers out there there's always some doubters forget about those people but does anybody see it in you does anybody recognize for Paul it was important that other people be able to say listen we're not giving you your calling it comes from God alone but we can recognize that God has put it in your life next number seven Paul's call was evident to other people really that's just an outworking of the next one where he says verse 23 he who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith that's what they said he's now preaching the faith but point-eight Paul's call was not evident to everyone look at verse 22 he says I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea the churches of Judea didn't see Pollard's called they didn't know anything about him yes some people should be able to see the call of God in your life but don't be upset if not everybody does that's how it was for Paul there were others who could not see the call of guns and that's okay you don't have to be mad at them you don't have to be disappointed you just go okay some will see it maybe some won't number eight or maybe that was number eight okay that was number eight number nine Paul's call was long delayed in fulfillment and that's not from the text itself it's just from the chronology of the scriptures most scholars say that it was between 12 and 13 years after Paul's conversion that he really started doing effective ministry in the calling that God gave him God often in a man or a woman's life has a long season of preparation for the calling that they're going to give them sometimes this may be evident in the professional world we get that in the medical profession there's a long season of preparation we get in the legal profession we get in certain other things that people do listen oftentimes for you to really function in the kingdom calling that God has given you don't be impatient it may be a long time as I said for Paul most scholars believe it was anywhere between 12 and 13 years and I got a simple question for it it's 12 or 13 years a long time well you know what's funny about that I can say that at my age looking back 12 or 13 years doesn't seem that long but when you're in the midst of it 12 or 13 years seems forever like it'll never come to pass it feels like a long time so don't be impatient with that and then finally number 10 Paul's call was something that brought glory to God look at it here in verse 24 it says and they glorified God in me listen that's the bottom line of whatever purpose our calling that God has given you in this world he's given it to you ultimately to glorify Him to get back to our example of the auto mechanic before are you telling me that being a godly man godly husband godly father just a person who is a active supporter and participant in the ministries of the church and you're an honest auto mechanic are you telling me that's to God's glory absolutely that's to God's glory you'd better believe it and it's a way of loving your neighbor in this world that's a wonderful calling not to be despised but the end of it should be that it gives glory to God brothers and sisters we have to hear the call of God and we have to respond to the call of God I am I've heard it said and there's no way to prove this but I think it's an interesting thought I've heard it said that in every generation God calls enough missionaries to reach the whole world it's just how many of them answer that call that's another story isn't it but in every generation God calls enough missionaries to do it and you wonder how many people just don't answer the call we have to hear the call of God we have to respond to the call of God and again I want to remind you we have to have it settled in our mind that God's call on your life may or not be any kind of formal or paid Christian ministry at all sometimes we preachers in lead or sort of speaking that there because that's a world that we're familiar with but it doesn't mean that way at all you know one of the greatest examples of that I find in Christian history is a guy named William Wilberforce you know Wilberforce's story William Wilberforce was the man who the English politician who was singularly most responsible for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire now it was a a decades-long struggle that he faced and it was a remarkable story he's been described as the least known great reform of society in the last several hundred years he worked over 50 years and almost single-handedly accomplish the abolition of slavery in the British Empire when he started almost no one in the British Empire thought that slavery was wrong or evil they thought even if it was evil it was necessary especially for the economic survival of the British Empire and William Wilberforce fought over fifty years for the abolition of slavery and he saw it accomplished in the British Empire but did you know that he almost never entered the political career William were before us was dramatically converted to Christianity when he was 25 years old and his first reaction was to give up politics for the ministry he thought that spiritual matters like the ministry were more important than secular matters like politics and so he says forget about politics I'm gonna go into the ministry the man who changed his mind was a man some of you heard his name John Newton the guy who was the author of the great hymn Amazing Grace he was his pastor and Newton told Wilberforce this quote it is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of the nation and so he continued as a member of parliament and he changed the world for God's glory because he didn't go into the ministry but stayed where God had called him to be so look every one of you as a calling on your life and your calling on your life is your race to run and whether or not it involves some kind of full-time part-time formal informal Christian Church just doesn't matter it's whatever the calling is that God's placed upon your life but I will tell you this whatever calling God has placed upon your life there is a price to pay for answering God's call listen whatever it is for your life if your mentality is you will only pursue the call of God if it's easy or if it's comfortable you're not gonna go very far in the pursuit of the call if you think it's too difficult if you are called you can do it so there are people who say I've had people come to me with tears in their eyes and they say this I can't bear to disappoint my family they think I should do this but I'm convinced the call of God in my life as this listen if you're called you can bear to disappoint your family I can't give up what I've worked for if you're called you can give it up I can't live in a new place if you're called you can do it I can't learn a new language if you're called you can do it I can't look like a fool in front of my friends if you're called you can do it God will give you the ability you need to fulfill that call if you have a sense of calling in your life already praise the Lord again I'm not gonna ask you to raise your hands but I I would be convinced that in a group of this many people there's many of you thank the Lord you already have some sense of calling and direction in life you like yes Lord help me to keep pursuing it praise the Lord if that's you depend upon God and keep pursuing it but for those of you I gotta believe there's a lot of people like you here like this here today if you don't have yet a sense of your calling depend upon God to reveal it and find a way to be useful for God's kingdom right now until he gives you a better sense of your calling I think it is totally valid to say lord I really don't know how you've gifted me and what you've called me to do so I'm gonna serve your kingdom in this way and show me along the way and you know what God will do it once one of the greatest pieces of advice somebody gave me regarding God's will and direction of my life is he said David it's hard to steer a parked car it's just just get moving doing something serving the Lord and even it isn't really what you're called to do don't worry about it is you get active in doing something to further God's kingdom God will guide you along the way my earnest desire is that every one of you would have the same peace and rest in the sense of calling that Paul had that to some extent I have and that I tell you what if we had an entire room of people aware of their calling pursuing their calling fulfilling their calling throughout their life the world gets changed from the people in this room absolutely positively I mean there's no doubt about that but you got a room full of people not sure aimless lost searching it out not really well that's not so much of an impact I mean God could do a profound work in the room in in the people in and through this room simply simply is figuring out how God has called us a corner those principles that we saw in Galatians and living it out [Music] you

Channel: David Guzik

Views: 8,047

Rating: 4.8536587 out of 5

Keywords: david guzik, guzik, enduring word, calling, god's calling, my calling, god's calling on my life

Id: vmmbna3vzwU

Length: 52min 42sec (3162 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 02 2019