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Hardheaded Israel

¹ Dear cowboys and cowgirls, what I want more than anything, the thing I pray about every day is for Israel to be saved. ² They have a lot of enthusiasm, but it is totally misdirected. They are like a Blue Heeler that constantly works the horses instead of the cattle. ³ They refuse to accept God's new way of making people right with him. They are hardheaded and tie hard and fast to keeping the Code. ⁴ Christ did for us what we couldn't—he kept the Code and was sacrificed for us. The end result is that all who believe in this with a life-changing attitude are made right with God.

⁵ Moses said you had to keep the Code to be made right with God. ⁶ But faith's method of getting right with God says, "Don't say, 'Who will go to heaven? ⁷ Who will go to hell?'"

⁸ What faith really says is, "The Word that will save you is right here—close as the tongue between your teeth and the heart between your ribs."

It's this message of faith that we talk about everywhere. ⁹ If you speak with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and God brought him back from the dead, you'll be saved. ¹⁰ It's all about believing with a soft heart and proclaiming your faith out loud that you are saved.

¹¹ The Good Book tells us, "Anyone who trusts in him will not have the gate shut on them." ¹² This is for Jews and outsiders. They have only one God who doles out a heaping of blessings on all who come to him and ask. ¹³ Everyone who cries out to God will be saved.

¹⁴ But here's the sticker, how can they cry out to him unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him if no one has ever heard about him? How can anyone hear of him if no one talks about him? ¹⁵ And how will anyone go talk about him unless they are sent? That is why the Good Book says, "Look at those who aren't afraid to ride out and gather!"

¹⁶ But not everyone is happy to hear the good news. Isaiah said, "Lord, who's believed what we've said?" ¹⁷ Faith comes from hearing and listening to the good news about what Jesus did for us.

¹⁸ But I often wonder, have the folks of Israel heard the good news? Of course they have, "The message has struck a lope throughout the earth, spoken to the whole world."

¹⁹ But did they really understand? I believe they did, for even when Moses was riding for the brand, God said, "You will become jealous of those you think are below you, Israel. You'll throw a fit when I give them my grace and mercy to those who were not even looking for me."

²⁰ Later on, Isaiah said, "People came across me who weren't even looking for me. I showed myself to those looking for other things."

²¹ God said about Israel, "I sounded the siren for them to come to me all day long and they ignored me because they are rebellious and disobedient."