He Calls Us for Life

Introduction - The Guest Room

When God breaks in, he calls us for life.

Play on words

in order to live

for the whole duration of our life

Life-Giving Purpose

God’s calling broke in to Samuel’s everyday work and made it holy

God’s calling wasn’t easily recognized

Samuel “didn’t yet know the Lord” v. 7, even though he was serving in the Tabernacle!

Samuel was ready and willing to receive God’s calling

Advent is a time for repentance, because God is pleased to use spiritually broken yet available people to do his will

Ask: Am I willing to shift my life, my patterns, and my core in order to make room for Christ’s calling in my life?

Doesn’t necessarily mean good things; Samuel seemed pretty upset a good bit of the time

Pray about what God’s calling for your life is

Ask others what they’re hearing

Be okay with not hearing your calling correctly

Commit to being available and act when called

Whole-Life Calling

God’s calling demands all of our life, not part of it

God’s calling caused Samuel to serve him for the entirety of his life

God’s calling caused John to speak when it cost him everything

Count the cost of following Christ

Advent represents God putting everything on the line for our sake (Easter is part 2)

The call is to put everything on the line for the sake of Christ