– W. Spencer Walton
Whatever it takes, Lord I want to be with you where you are.
You are worthy.
To live without offense.
A casual first-century reader of the Fourth Gospel’s prologue (John 1:1–18) would have little difficulty understanding John’s description of the λόγος. As a concept it was simple enough. λόγος was the intelligible law of things. λόγος tqu oequ was God’s transcendent rationality that gave the universe order and purpose. A Hellenized Jew would quickly reach for a volume of wisdom literature explaining that God’s wisdom, his word (or λόγος), provided the universe with its form and coherence. As such, q λόγος tqu oequ was foreign to human ways, above us and distant from us, guiding us from afar. John 1:14, on the other hand, would make any such reader pause in stunned silence. “And the λόγος became flesh (σάρξ) and dwelt among us.” σάρξ is the earthly sphere, the arena of human decisions and emotions, human history, and human sinfulness (cf. John 1:13; 3:6; 17:2; etc.). John 1:14 contains the risk, the scandal, and the gospel of the Christian faith: λόγος became σάρξ. The center of God’s life and thought entered the depths of our world and took up its form, its σάρξ, its flesh, in order to be known by us and to save us. This affirmation about λόγος and σάρξ is the very heart of our faith. God has not abandoned us. No lowliness, no misery, no sinfulness is beyond God’s comprehension and reach. He came among us, embraced our world of σάρξ in his incarnation, and loved us. It is easy enough to say that God loves the world (John 3:16). But to say that God loves me, in my frailty and my faithlessness—that he loves σάρξ—this is another matter. This is the mystery and the power of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.
Gary M. Burge
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”
1 Corinthians 15:10
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
You’re rich in love, and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
Jesus, I’ll worship Your holy name
Lord, I’ll worship Your holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
Jesus, I’ll worship Your holy name
I’ll worship Your holy name
Psalm 16:1-2
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
Psalm 15
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
This story is told 3 times in Acts. Once here in Acts 9:3-6, again before the mob trying to kill Paul in Acts 22:6-11, and lastly before the Roman governor Felix and King Agrippa in Acts 26:12-16. In this last version Paul adds a line that is not in the other versions. It says:
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
Now I had read about goads in the Old Testament but forgot what they were, so I had to go look it up again. They could be used as weapons but most often were used to drive oxen.
1. (n.) A pointed instrument used to urge on a beast; hence, any necessity that urges or stimulates.
2. (v. t.) To prick; to drive with a goad; hence, to urge forward, or to rouse by anything pungent, severe, irritating, or inflaming; to stimulate.
I found this to be an interesting comment that Jesus made to Saul but the more I researched it the more it made sense, both in relationship to Saul and Jesus and myself also. Here is some interesting commentary from Barnes’ Notes on that line of scripture.
“The expression ‘to kick against the prick’ is derived from the action of a stubborn and unyielding ox kicking against the goad. And as the ox would injure no one by it but himself; as he would gain nothing, it comes to denote ‘an obstinate and refractory disposition and course of conduct, resisting the authority of him who has a right to command, and opposing the leadings of Providence, to the injury of him who makes the resistance.’ It denotes ‘rebellion against lawful authority, and thus getting into greater difficulty by attempting to oppose the commands to duty.’ This is the condition of every sinner. If people wish to be happy, they should cheerfully submit to the authority of God. They should not rebel against his dealings. They should not complain against their Creator. They should not resist the claims of their consciences. By all this they only injure themselves. No man can resist God or his own conscience and be happy.” Those words, which are omitted here but which were obviously spoken, give us to believe that Paul knew in his heart that Jesus was the Messiah and that the report of His resurrection from the dead was true.
This now makes perfect sense why Jesus said this to Saul. By resisting the Lord he was injuring no one but himself. As I look back over my life I can see many times that I have exhibited this same problem. On many occasions I resisted my parents. I resisted law enforcement on one occasion. I resisted management at work and loved ones in my relationship. Like the ox against the goad, I ended up hurting myself on most occasions. But none of this hurt me as bad as resisting the Lord for most of my life. Like Saul, I finally stopped resisting and realized there is only one way of living and that is through the light of Jesus Christ. Now, whenever I’m having a bad day or I’m frustrated that things might not be going the way I think they should, I stop and make sure I’m not “kicking against the goads” again. Invariably, I find that is my problem and by putting our Lord and Savior in control, all things come into focus again.
If your struggling at times, stop and make sure you are not kicking against the goads!
http://kansasviking.com/blog/?p=116
**Found this fascinating.
I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness.
– Whiter than snow - Paul Tripp
