We’re in the midst of a weeklong series based on Acts 26:14—“It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” On Monday we discovered the meaning of the oxgoad. Today we will meet the Master of the oxgoad, the Lord Jesus Himself, and discover three important truths.
1. YOU WERE PLANNED FOR – Ephesians 1:3-4
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”
There are countless children who have been born to parents who did not plan for them. This is never true of the children of our heavenly Father; every child has been planned for by God. There are neither surprises nor accidents in God’s economy. Even the sinful acts of man are used by God for His glory. “You meant evil against me,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 50:20). Knowing that both your salvation and the sin that made salvation necessary were planned for by Almighty God makes the goad glorious.
2. YOU ARE PAID FOR – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Every child of God has been purchased by the blood of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The kingdom of the Savior is a kingdom of sacrifice, and this unthinkable sacrifice is as history-altering as it is life-changing. “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers,” Peter explained, “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). When you truly understand the price that was paid for you and your sin, by the One who knew no sin, the goad does not sting so badly. In fact, the further His goad prods you toward dying to your own selfish desires, the more you come alive to Christ and your calling.
3. YOU WILL BE PROVIDED FOR – Philippians 4:19
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Note well that God did not promise that your every “want” will be supplied. Much of what we “want,” we certainly do not need. In fact, it would be detrimental to our walk with Christ and our witness in this world if we were to get everything we think we want. God knows the story of our lives from beginning to end; indeed, all the days ordained for us were written in God’s book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). God is writing our stories and making them fit into His bigger story; He knows what is best for us!
How perfect is the leading of the Prince of Peace, who planned for us, paid for us, and provides for our every need in both life and death! He inflicts just the right amount of pain to keep us moving in the direction He has called us to go. Knowing that gentle, loving, nail-scarred hands hold our oxgoad makes all the difference in the world in how we receive its proddings and respond to them. This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!
Grace for the Race 
