God goaded and poked the mulish pride of Saul—that Pharisaic ox. Day after day he kicked against those goads, till ultimately he got the message.

God will do whatever is needed to bring us to a point of comprehensive dependance on Him. He will be able to relentlessly, patiently, faithfully goad till we ultimately and happily submit to Him.

Let’s accept it, you’ll qualify as the best person on your block. You do not cheat on your taxes or purposely lie to your other half. You’ll have never committed what we’d call an outrageous act, saying nothing of seriously wounding someone you adore. You are living a life that is provoking to others, but you are light years from being righteous before God.

Until you’ve surrendered your life to Christ, you are as lost as Saul was on the Damascus road. If you have never made that call, what a great moment this would be if you would set this book aside, bow your heart before the living Christ at this sweet moment, and receive Him as your Savior. You could have been a Christian for some considerable time, but you are adhering to the reins of your own rebel will. You must know that God will goad you too. He’ll bring you to a place in your life where you realize there is not any point in continuing to kick against the goads.