Hearing God’s Call

“Why are you here?”
"Is this really it?"

1. You were created by God, for God, and with a purpose.
   

Colossians 1:16-17 For in Christ all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 
"What is God revealing about Himself?"
And:
"How should this change the way I live?"
"It's hard to steer a parked car."
The One who created you already knows why He made you.
The Christian journey is learning to align ourselves with His design instead of trying to create our own.
Before you took your first breath, God knew you.

The question is not:
"Is my job spiritual enough?"
The question is:
"Am I honoring Christ where He has placed me?"
Never underestimate the impact of consistent faithfulness.
How do we discover the unique calling God has placed on our lives?

2. The Calling We All Share, and the Calling That's Uniquely Yours
So how do we discover God's calling for our lives? The answer may surprise you.
You don’t begin by asking, "What should I do?"
You begin by asking, "Who am I becoming in Christ?"
God is always more concerned with our character than our accomplishments.
He says, "Seek the Kingdom first."
Faithfulness in today's assignment prepares us for tomorrow's assignment.
The Bible teaches that every believer has a shared calling.
Every Christian is called to follow Christ. Luke 9:23

• We are called to holiness. 1 Peter 1:15-16
  
• We are called to love others. John 13:34-35
  
• We are called to forgive. Colossians 3:13
  
• We are called to serve. Galatians 5:13
  
• We are called to be witnesses. Acts 1:8
  
• We are called to make disciples. Matthew 28:19-20
  

Sometimes we become so focused on discovering God's hidden will that we ignore the things He has already made clear.

1 Corinthians 12:12, 27
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ… Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
 1 Peter 4:10 says:
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."
God transformed them, but He did not make them identical.
Grace makes you who God intended you to be.

The question is not: "How can I become important?"
When surrendered to God, ordinary faithfulness becomes extraordinary ministry.

Two Important Warnings
Don't Expect Complete Certainty Immediately
Your Calling Is Not Your Identity
Calling flows from identity, but it doesn't replace it.
3. When God Calls – Lessons from the Life of Paul
Galatians 1:15-16—"But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me, so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles..." 
1. God often begins working long before we recognize it.
2. Calling begins with knowing Christ.
Christianity is not first about finding your assignment. It is about finding your Savior.
3. God's calling is always bigger than our past.
Your past may explain you, but it does not have to define you.
4. Calling grows through obedience.
He is preparing you to carry that task without it destroying you.
5. Your calling will require trust.
6. Calling is never just about you.
7. Finally, remember where all of this is heading.
Does my life ultimately draw attention to Christ?
"What should I do with my life now that I belong to Christ?"
Your calling is not always somewhere else. Sometimes your calling is right where God has already placed you.
The question is not only, "Where can I serve God?"
The deeper question is:
"How can I faithfully serve God where He has placed me?"

The greatest calling is the invitation of Jesus:
"Follow Me."

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