“I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘ Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? it is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14)

Where the difficulty comes is that so many people try to serve God with the power of Satan. But that can never be done. Men cannot gather grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles. The tree must be made good, root and branch. It must be made new. “You must be born again.”

Let no one ever attempt to serve God with anything but the present, living power of God that makes him a new creature; with nothing but the much more abundant grace that condemns sin in the flesh, and reigns through righteousness unto eternal life. Then the service of God will indeed be in “newness of life.” Then it will be found that His yoke is indeed “easy” and His
burden “ light.” Then His service will be found indeed to be with “joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

Did Jesus ever find it difficult to do right? Everyone will instantly say, No. But why? He took flesh and blood the same as ours. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). And the kind of flesh that He was made in this world was precisely such as was in this world. “In all things He had to be made like His brethren” (Hebrews 2: 17. “In all things.” It does not say In all things but one. There is no exception. He was of Himself weak as we are, for He said, “ I can of Myself do nothing.” (John 5:30).

Why then did He find it always easy to do right?- because He never trusted to Himself, but His trust was always in God alone. He always sought to serve God, only with the power of God. But as He is, so are we in the world. He has left us an example, that we should follow His steps. “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure,” as well as in Him (Philippians 2:13). All power in heaven and in earth is given unto Him and He desires that you should be strengthened with all might according to His glorious power. (A.T. Jones, Review & Herald, Sept. 1, 1896)