Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Since God opposes the proud and favors the humble, do the right thing. As Jesus said to Paul in Acts 26: 14, it is hard to kick against the goads.
Goads are not something we know much about these days. They are common in rural areas where people still use animals for pulling carts or plows. If you want an animal to move when the animal doesn’t want to move you goad it. Basically, you poke at it with a sharp stick or a stick with an iron point. Wanting to get away from the pain, the animal moves. If it still doesn’t want to move, it might try and kick the goad away. That tends to hurt more.
God’s opposition to the ungodly is a goad. It is a pain that is intended to drive us toward God. More accurately, towards reliance on God. If we resist, we are kicking “against the goads.”
Why do we do that?
If God is everywhere, he is inescapable. If God is good, why would we want to oppose him? In other words, why not submit to God?
What does God ask for from us that is so horrible? Number one is that he wants us to love him. Two, he wants us to love each other. Three, see one and two. Is that so horrible?
Application: Show God you love him today: Spend some time reading his Word and talking to Him.
Food for Thought: What does it mean to submit?
Thank you. I look forward to reading these daily as they come to me by email.
Laura,
Thank you for joining us! I hope you enjoy these meditations on God’s Word!
👍🏻
One way we submit is to realize He is Lord. He once said, “Why do you call Me Lord and not do what I say?” When we don’t do what He says, I suppose we are kicking against the goads. If He is Lord we listen to Him and trust Him.
Amen, Rich! My prayer is that all people everywhere recognize that God is God. The more the better.