Have you ever felt “goaded” into something. The word goad is not commonly used today. The phrase “kicking against the goads” refers to the practice of farmers goading their oxen in the fields. A goad is a spiked stick for driving cattle or oxen. It directs their work and provides purpose. What is your purpose?

A Good Example

 Sometimes the ox would kick at the goad. When this happened, the goad would stab into the flesh and the pain would remind the animal of its purpose. The Apostle Paul is a good example of someone who was being goaded. God got his attention on the road to Damascus. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14).

All of Paul’s life God had been goading him in the direction of his purpose. However, Paul was resisting God’s purpose, trying to do what he thought was best for his life. Perhaps, this is how many of us respond to life. Are you directing your time and energy into pursuing your own desires? Perhaps, it is time to stop “kicking against the goads.”

Surrender

When we surrender and open our hearts to God’s purpose, he will make his calling clear. After Paul had been blinded by the light, God said to him, “Now get up and stand on your feet. . . I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light . . . so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:16-18).

For me, I have been called to more than one purpose over my lifetime. I was called to teach Sunday school when I was 17 years old. . . and I did that faithfully. Perhaps, my greatest calling has been as a father. In this calling, I have made the greatest difference in this world. My legacy lives on in my children and grandchildren. People that have experienced the love of God are shining light into the darkness of our world. My work was a calling. I have been an educator, a principal, and a pastor. In each of these roles I have pursued God’s purpose and daily asked for God’s direction. 

How Powerful is Faith?

On one occasion, Jesus taught his disciples saying, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

I can hear you thinking, “Easy for him to say. He is the son of God.” “I’ve not seen any mountains moving in my life.” We all experience tragedies and hardships in life that can challenge our faith.  The truth is, to some degree, we are all affected by a lack of faith.  This reminds me of the story in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus healed a little body at the request of his father. The father pleaded with Jesus saying, “If you can, please heal my son.”  Jesus’ response is amazing: 

“‘If you can’?”  said Jesus. I can almost hear the sarcasm in Jesus’ voice. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9: 23-24)

Decision

Make the decision to be all in. Hear the voice of God today and say, “Yes, Lord.” Maybe you don’t know exactly what that means, but, don’t worry, he will make it clear to you. You just have to surrender. It starts with a simple, “Yes.” God has a purpose for you.

Also, see With God All Things Are Possible.

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

Anything you place ahead of God in your life is an idol. It can be a car, a house, a boat, a TV show, a favorite sports star, anything that gets in the way of you worshiping God. Golf or Fishing, anything can be an idol.

When my children were younger, we would load into the van and drive to church on Sunday morning. We would pass by a golf course. I often would point out the crowded golf course and say, “Look, these people are worshipping the god of golf.” My kids would groan and say, “Dad!”  Lizzy, always assuming positive intent, would counter, “Perhaps, they went to an earlier church service.” My intention was not to pass judgement of these particular golfers. My purpose was to make a point, anything can be an idol if it is more important to us than doing the will of God. 

“But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears” (Zechariah 7:11).

The children of Israel were stubborn. They refused to abandon their worthless idols. Perhaps, they thought they could do both. They would worship God at their temple in Samaria and set up idols on every high hill in their communities.  Were they driven by fear or their own desires? I think the answer is both. They were hedging their bet. The people would worship God and if he didn’t give them what they wanted, they would ask the gods of the nations around them. They would burn incense saying, “Baal, I want a new car. “

Hoshea was the last king of Israel. He reigned in Samaria for nine years.  He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. More importantly, the people did evil in the eyes of the Lord. It is too easy to blame the leaders, when in fact it is our own fault.

The sinfulness of the people caused Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, to defeat Israel. He came up to attack Hoshea, seizing him and putting him in prison. Hoshea had been a vassal to Assyria, but stopped paying tribute. Hoshea instead  made a pact with the king of Egypt, putting his confidence in Egypt, and not in the God of his forefathers.

Next Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, invaded the entire land. He marched against Samaria and laid siege to the city for three years. Can you imagine the hardship of the people during that three years?  It got worse. Shalmaneser captured Samaria and deported all of the Israelites to Assyria. 

Shalmaneser was allowed to do this because the Israelites had sinned against God, the God who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh. Instead of trusting the true god, they worshiped the worthless gods of their neighbors. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles (idols) on every high hill and under every spreading tree. They worshiped idols and rejected the words of the prophets. The people did not observe the commands written in the word of God. 

Does God not want us to have cars, houses, jobs, vacations, etc.? Yes, he does. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Having a job is a blessing, but don’t let the job keep you from church. Of course, I know this will happen from time-to-time. This is especially true when the job is new, but soon enough you will be given the chance not to work on Sunday. Take it. Worship with the family of God needs to be a priority. Golf is a fun recreational activity. But, don’t sign up for a tee time that conflicts with God’s priorities for your life. 

You may say, “I have to work on Sunday or I won’t get the overtime that I need.” But, remember what we read in Matthew, “Seek ye first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  

Golf or fishing, anything can be an idol. Trust God’s word on this one. Prove him. I can attest that my life is an example. I’ve claimed this promise for my life and God has blessed me with good things: houses, cars, boats, and jobs. I don’t golf, but who knows? There is still time for me to take up this sport.

Also, see Priceless.

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

It is spring and sparrows are everywhere. Sleep with the windows open and you will hear their chirping early in the morning. Their song is a reminder that we are of great value to our heavenly father. In fact, we are priceless. Their song speaks to us saying, Make your life count!

Selah

My granddaughter, Selah, is three years old with a mind of her own. She can sometimes dig in her heels and stubbornly make her stand. Her principles can seem illogical to adults, but they are important to her none-the-less.

I can remember one time we were staying at a rented house with a pool and hot tub. The air was growing cold and we had all gotten out of the pool and into the hot tub. But, there was Selah, standing by the hot tub, towel-less in a dripping wet swimsuit, arms clutched, teeth chattering, body cold, and shivering. “Come on in. It feels wonderful and you will warm up,” I had tried to convince her from inside the hot tub. But, she stubbornly refused, angry  that her brother had gotten in before her, fearful to give in and let her brother know he was the winner.

No matter how hard I tried to coax her, she was adamant. She was not coming in. Her pale skin was taking on a purplish shade. “I promise you,” I tried again. “It feels so good.” Selah was not convinced. She stood her ground. She was beginning to look like a Popsicle, so I pulled myself out of the hot tub to find a towel to wrap her up.

Unknown Waters

How often do our fears take hold preventing us from doing what we know is best for us? How often do we stubbornly cling to the familiar, rather than venturing into unknown waters. Instead, we stand, miserable, our minds made up regardless of the folly or even danger of our choice. “Come to me,” our heavenly father calls. “Trust me. My way is the best choice for you.”  Too often we remain stuck in place, to obstinate to abandon what we want and submit to what God wants for our lives. 

Jesus said in the book of Matthew, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10: 29-31).

Make Your Life Count

We are priceless to our heavenly father. Yes, he even knows the number of hairs on your head. Wow, that seems impossible. Our value increases as we choose what is valuable to God. My life is an example. He will bless us with good things and important responsibilities in this life. Plus, God’s word promises that he will make us rulers of kingdoms in the life to come. You are of great value!

Also, see With God All Things Are Possible.

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

We live in an uncertain world. At times, it is enough to cause us to stop in our tracks. If we do, however, we will miss out on what God is trying to accomplish in our lives. God’s words, “I will instruct you and teach you” (Psalm 32:8) do not mean we will be sitting in a classroom with five rows of six chairs. Instead, this promise from God is that he will provide us with hands-on lessons. If we “Keep going,” we will be strong and courageous.

Lizzy and I learned one such hands-on lesson when our children were young. We had planned for weeks to take a hiking trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. Whitney, our oldest, was eight years old. Chandler was six, and Holland was just over a year, which meant I would need to carry him on my back for the hike. I had purchased a special backpack carrier and had practiced carrying him on my back to build up my stamina. 

Our goal was to visit Abrams Falls. Abrams Falls is a waterfall with a large volume of water rushing over a twenty-foot high drop. It is named for a Cherokee chief whose village once stood several miles downstream. The hike is 5 miles over rough terrain. The trail map rated the hike as moderate in difficulty. However, as we began the hike, I was thinking the map was wrong and it was difficult, especially carrying a child on your back. Can we really make this trip? I thought to myself.

Our first obstacle came about an hour into the hike. It was a hot, summer day and the trail was more difficult than we expected. The girls were complaining, so we stopped for a water break, which gave us a chance to notice the beauty of our surroundings. The Great Smoky Mountains are beautiful. Our trail traversed pine-oak forests on the ridges and hemlock and rhododendron forests along the creek.

Feeling renewed, it was time to make a decision, turn around and head back to the hotel or keep moving toward the original goal. “Keep going,” Liz proclaimed. So, we did, and made it to the falls. It was worth the trip, but all I could say was, “Thank you Jesus.” It would not be the last time that I repeated this statement over the next few hours. 

We ate the picnic lunch we had packed, played in the water at the bottom of the falls, and I got one of my most treasured photographs of Holland and me with the mist of the waterfall soaking our faces. After an hour and a half, feeling refreshed, it was time to start the return trip. However, we were apparently not as refreshed as I had thought.

About half way into the return, our six year old Chandler had had enough. This was no longer fun and she was tired. She sat down right in the middle of the trail and wouldn’t move . . . no matter how much we coaxed her. It was starting to get dark and Liz and I were worried. We knew that black bears and other animals were active in the area, so we did not want to be on the trail after dark. I couldn’t carry two children and Liz did not think she could carry Chandler over the rocky terrain. So, we prayed . . . and, God sent an angel. 

A nice man walking along the trail stopped to talk with Chandler. She was smiling and he was kind, encouraging, and convinced her to drink the water we’d given her. I’m not sure what he said, but it gave her the motivation she needed. She jumped up and almost ran the remainder of the hike. I repeated my gratitude again, “Thank you Jesus.”

At the end of the day, I wondered, “What if we would have turned back early in our trip?” We would have missed the beauty of God’s creation. The fear of uncertainty would have kept us from experiencing the adventure with which God had blessed us. The hands-on lesson is if we “Keep going,” we will be strong and courageous. Jesus has promised that he will be with us, which is a similar promise to the one God gave Joshua. 

When Joshua was looking across the Jordan river, God instructed Joshua, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7). Like Joshua, God had given us the instruction to inhabit the land, to obey his law, “Do not turn from it to the right or to the left.” The promise to us is, if we will do this, we will be successful in whatever God has given us to do.

God will give us what we need for the journey he has set before us. We are stronger than we think. Even with the ever-changing landscape of our world, God will give us strength and courage when we need it most. Yes, we live in uncertain times, but we must “Keep going.” If we do this, we will be strong and courageous. We will see the will of God accomplished in the land of the living.

Also see Finish.

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear