Acts 21:10-14

"After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done." "

Yet again, it's striking to read of Paul's determination to follow through with his God given mission: both to be a light to the Gentiles (see Acts 13:46-47 and Acts 22:21) and also to be willing to suffer and die for Christ's sake (see Acts 20:22-24). I'm realizing how critical it is for Paul to really know what God is calling him to do. It seems there's a fine line between being stubborn and being obedient. And in fact being obedient often means following what you've been told (by God/the Holy Spirit) so much so that you are not swayed by others to change your mind (although I do think it's also essential for us to be accountable to others who listen intently to God!).

I guess in some ways that too could be seen as stubborn, but the impetus behind that "stubbornness" (of being obedient) is different than just being stubborn. Paul seems to navigate this fine line quite well: God drives his "stubbornness" (i.e. "for the name of the Lord Jesus") rather than Paul being stubborn for the sake of personal gain. Without totally putting Paul on a pedestal, I hope and pray that as I follow Jesus, I too will be able to learn how to navigate this fine line and to be obedient to what He calls me to for His name's sake. And even further, to know how to properly weigh the persuading of others against God's call...