Are You Kicking at the Goads?

We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ Acts 26:14

What's a Goad? 

It's a spiked stick used to prod an animal in the right direction. Shepherds used it to lead their flock to safe and plentiful pastures or to prod them away from danger. Farmers used it to prod their horses or mules forward to plow the fields.

If an animal took the hint of a gentle prod from the goad, they would be trained to do what is best for them. If, instead, an animal kicked against the goad, they would injure themselves on the sharp end of the stick.

Saul was a devout Jew. He zealously followed Jewish law. He was so zealous, in fact, that he persecuted those who dared teach or follow any other beliefs. When Jesus came on the scene, preaching forgiveness and salvation, Saul took it upon himself to wipe out early Christianity. 

I'm sure that God had been nudging, then prodding Saul toward faith in Jesus, but Saul had his own ideas about how to best serve God. Finally, God had to put a stop to Saul's killing spree and hatred, so as Saul was on his way to destroy more believers, God revealed himself to Saul in a blinding light.

Saul explained what happened to him like this when he stood before King Agrippa...

I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

Than I asked, "Who are you, Lord?"

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," the Lord replied. Now, get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. " Acts 26:13-16*

 Saul's kicking against the goads resulted in a three day blindness, but brought about a complete life change. Transforming a viscous Saul the Apostle Paul, who spent the rest of his life as a devoted follower of Jesus and taught other the truth about salvation through Jesus. It's too bad he had to go through so much tragedy before he would listen to God. 

I think God uses prods to keep us moving in the right direction, to lead us to the blessings he has for us and to steer us away from danger. Not for punishment, or abuse, but in love so that we live the best life possible. However, just like a stubborn or rebellious animal, we often resent that nudges from God to go a certain way. If he gets more forceful in his prodding, we might get angry and kick against his will, preferring our own way instead. But just like the animal who is injured by kicking at the goad, we injure ourselves if we kick against God's leading. We invite trouble into our lives, we make poor choices which lead to dire consequences, Then when we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a mess, we might blame God for causing or allowing the trouble we find ourselves in, when all the time, if we had just moved with his nudging, we would have been far better off.

How about you? Have you felt God nudging you in a certain direction or urging you not to go in another? Have you listened and cooperated or have you been kicking at the goads.

 *You can read the whole account of Saul's conversion HERE.

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What happened to my passion for life?

Have you ever met someone who exudes a joy and passion for life that you wished you felt? Do you remember a time when you were excited about living and your future? What happened to that?

Life has a way of beating us down, making us weary, stealing our joy and passion. With everything that life throws at us - with all the bad news we hear every day - with all the struggle to deal with in our quickly changing culture - joy and passion for life drain out of us without our even realizing it until one day we wake up and wonder if it's even worth the trouble to get out of bed.

We can look at all the chaos and trouble around us and feel overwhelmed and defeated. Maybe that's the problem...we've been focused on the chaos and trouble instead of staying focused one the One who gave His life for us. Jesus had a passion for life. He had a passion for those around Him. He had a passion for the Father.

We need that passion. Fortunately, it's His to give and He already gave it when we surrendered our lives to Him. He forgave, saved and filled us with His Holy Spirit - wherein lies all we will ever need to live a joyful, passionate life.

Let's pray that God will restore our passion, fill us with His joy so that we not only find excitement and purpose in life, but so that we can pass that along to others. Our world needs to see that the Christian life is different. They need to see us rejoice and worship God in the middle of trials, in the face of a life-altering diagnoses, in loss, and in the unsettling times we are living in.

Father, we ask you to bring us back to a place of joy and passion for living. Fill us anew with your Spirit and let your passion bubble up inside of us until we are so full that it spills over onto those around us. Amen 

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Code Blue X 2

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength 

of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

Tuesday, two years ago today, started like any other day, but before the day was over, I found myself rushed to the hospital for an emergency heart catheterization and pacemaker implant. Before they could get me prepped, I coded. My heart just stopped beating. They performed CPR and shocked my heart and I came back.  A couple of days later, I coded again and again they brought me back. It was a long recovery, but I'm alive! 

Today is my 

Re-Birthday!

God has walked me through recovery and has really clarified what's important in life. We have grown so much closer and though I am happy to be alive, I look forward to being with Him someday...and honestly, that day seems closer than ever.

He has kept me here for a purpose - maybe many purposes. I've given it a lot of thought and prayer and I've have a new bucket list. There's only 3 items on the list, but they encompass so much.

My Bucket List

• Love God with all my heart, my soul, my mind and my strength.
• Love, encourage and help others as God has done for me.
• Always, always point the way to Him.

In these three lie every purpose for which I am still alive. I don't know how much time I have before I am called home (none of us do). So, I will spend that time focused on those three items, trusting the Holy Spirit to lead me where I am needed. Nothing could be more important than these.

It's wonderful to be alive!

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Answering the Call

What has the Lord called you to do? Some are called to be teachers, some musicians, some artists, some preachers, some homemakers. What is He calling you to do?

For a long time I wondered about this. I didn't feel particularly called to something "special." Then I realize that as a child of God, everything I do is special if I do it as unto the Lord and do it in love.

• Praying for others is a calling.
• Sharing God's word is a calling
• Helping those in need is a calling
• Loving others is a calling
• Feeding the hungry is a calling
• etc....

Nothing is too small to be a calling if God is prompting you to do it. You may read a scripture that you want to share with others and post it on Facebook. You may cook a meal or bake some cookies for a neighbor. You may pick up the trash you find at a park so that others can enjoy a clean space.

Whatever you do, know that God will bless you for it and bless others through you. You are his hand extended, his voice of encouragement, his shoulder to cry on. No matter how small the effort may be, it's huge if you are following God's prompting.

So - are you answering the call?

Make a difference in someone's life today by allowing God to use you for His purposes.

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