Worship with us at 9am + 11am 390 N 400 E Bountiful, UT 84010 https://flourishinggrace.org/plan-you... In this Sunday message, guest speaker Dave Nelson opens Exodus 3:1-12 to explore one of the most significant questions a person can face: what does it mean when God calls you? Drawing from the account of Moses and the burning bush, Dave traces the nature of God's calling with biblical depth and personal honesty, sharing stories from his own journey of faith that span nearly four decades of pastoral ministry. Dave begins with his own conversion at eleven years old, sitting in a Methodist church in a small Michigan town. He had not come expecting anything unusual, but God showed up. Something pulled at his heart with a force he could not explain, and despite his embarrassment, he made his way to the altar and gave his life to Christ. That moment anchors the entire sermon: you did not choose God. He chose you. The calling is never something we manufacture or manipulate. It comes from Him, in His timing, often when we least expect it. The first truth Dave draws from Moses' story is that God's call comes out of the blue. Moses was not on a spiritual retreat or seeking a divine encounter. He was tending flocks in the wilderness on an ordinary day. The disciples were fishing. Matthew was sitting at his tax booth. Paul was walking to Damascus to persecute Christians. God interrupted every one of them in the middle of the routine. Dave adds his own story of being called a second time at nineteen, sitting on a city lawnmower, when God's voice redirected a life heading in the wrong direction. God will meet you wherever you are. The second truth is that God's call is personal. From the burning bush, God did not issue a general announcement. He said, "Moses, Moses." He called him by name because He knew him. Scripture teaches that God knit each of us together in the womb, ordained our days, and designed us with specific gifts, personalities, and purposes. From Abraham to Paul to Peter, the pattern repeats throughout scripture. God meets individuals where they are, calls them by name, and reveals the life they were created to live. That same personal call belongs to every person alive today. Third, Dave draws a distinction that cuts to the heart of Christian living: God's call is an invitation to join Him in what He is already doing, not a commission to do things for Him. God told Moses He had come down to rescue the Israelites, and then He sent Moses to go. Both are true. God is always working, and He invites us to participate. When we stop striving in our own strength and start following Him into what He is doing, the pressure lifts and the burden becomes light. Jesus modeled this perfectly: "I do nothing on my own, but whatever the Father shows me, I do." Fourth, God's call is gracious. Moses was a murderer in exile. Gideon was the least member of the weakest clan in Israel. Paul called himself the worst of sinners. And yet God called every one of them with confidence and purpose. If you have ever believed that your past or your inadequacies disqualify you from God's purposes, this message speaks directly to that lie. God consistently calls the broken and the weak because His strength is made perfect in human weakness. Nothing you have done places you beyond the reach of His redemption. Finally, God's call is always a call to Himself. When Moses asked who he was to stand before Pharaoh, God did not answer the question. He said simply, "I will be with you." That is the only answer that matters. Jesus defined eternal life as knowing the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. He calls us not merely to a task but to a relationship, to the intimate, daily experience of walking with Him. There is nothing like knowing Jesus this way, and it is available to every person in every circumstance.
