“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? Is it hard for you to kick against the goads?”
(Acts 26:14)
Jesus had been goading Saul with the gospel for years. Certainly, Saul had had opportunity to hear of Jesus of Nazareth while He walked this earth. Saul had definitely heard the gospel message preached by Stephen on that fateful day when Saul held the cloaks of those that stoned the first recorded martyr for Christ. Saul had ample opportunity to hear of the empty tomb, the evidence of the resurrection, and the turmoil it had caused amongst the religious elite.
And yet, there was Saul on the road to Damascus, still refusing to heed the goads of Jesus. So, Jesus calmly asked him if it had been hard. Had it been hard to fight against the evidence and ignore the truth? Had it been hard to turn a blind eye to the light and hunker down in the old habits of darkness?
Sometimes we do that – we put up our walls and ignore Jesus’ calls to repentance and growth. We know we should probably listen, but change is hard. Today, do the hard thing. Heed the goads and make the changes. Don’t fight it anymore. Repentance is hard, but it is worth it. Only when Saul stopped kicking back did he become the heroic apostle we all need.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites