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Kicking Against the Goads


 Saul of Tarsus was a force to be reckoned with. He was relentless at persecuting Christians wherever they were to be found. Any time a vote was made whether the Christian would live or die, Paul always voted that the Christian should be put to death.

When Saul was confronted by the Lord on the road to Damascus, the Lord said unto him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” When Paul asked, “Who are You Lord?” The Lor
d responded, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (Acts 9:4-5)

A goad was a long pole with a point on the end. It was used to guide oxen in the direction the owner chose. When the oxen would rebel against the master by kicking against the goads, he would only injure himself. When Jesus told Paul it was “hard for him to kick against the goads”, He was telling him that he would not avail against His divine authority.

Saul repented of his actions and became a mighty instrument in the hand of the Almighty. Still, there are many today who rebel against the Lord. They want to push God completely out of our culture. They want to rebel against the commandments of God and follow the dictates of their own hearts. While on the surface, we may find this behavior of our culture to be discouraging or even overwhelming, we must remember what they are really doing. They are kicking against the goads.

Even throughout biblical history, there were many who wanted to leave the righteous path of God and follow their own desires. In the book of Judges we read, “In those day there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6). In the book of Jeremiah the Lord said, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’”. (Jeremiah 6:16)

King Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun. Even today, we find that many in our culture are drifting away from God. We should never be discouraged but remember that as the people of God we are on the right side of eternity. 

Our goal is to influence others around us with the light of the gospel. Even in the midst of a perverse generation, there are still many who are searching for truth. Let us not become discouraged but seek opportunities to share the gospel with others. Let us not be like those who are kicking against the goads but let us be like Christ and be about the Father’s business.

God Bless each of you,

Eric Hicks


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