Thursday, May 5, 2011

God Calls

"One day on my way to Damascus, armed as always with papers from the high priests authorizing my action, right in the middle of the day a blaze of light, light outshining the sun, poured out of the sky on me and my companions. . . . .We fell flat on our faces. Then I heard a voice in Hebrew: 'Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me? Why do you insist on kicking against the goads / going against the grain?' Acts 26:12-14

A Reflection on Resisting God

Why do you resist God? How is it working out for you?

Two of the things that are true about the Christian life are these: God wants to give you more than ask for and God will ask more from you than you will want to give.

I think it is very, very easy to settle for the “same old, same old” which is in reality simply doing as I see fit rather than being attentive to and obedient to the God’s will. When we “kick against the goads” long enough, we get “dulled” into a lifeless complacency where we no longer feel the pain of our resistance. CS Lewis said it well,

“You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness”

Saul got the spell (God knocking him off his horse on the way to Damascu) and he was knocked into the reality of God. Without this Grace he would no doubt have lived well, wealthy and respected, all the while not even realizing his whole life would have been kicking against the goads. He would die, not having lived. But instead, he let the wake up call actually wake him up. Have God’s wake up calls left you still resisting or finally submitted to living awake to God’s world and willing to follow his lead in it? CS Lewis said it well;

“Now is our chance to choose the right side. It won’t last forever. We must take it . . . or leave it”

Where in your life are you still resisting? Will you finally give in before it’s too late?

Prayer

“Father, please give me the courage to swallow my pride and do the hard but right thing which you put before me today, and then again tomorrow, and then again the day after. And Lord, although it may never get easier, I choose to believe it will get better and then even better after that. In Jesus’ Name, Amen”