"Outlandish" -2

"With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth." (Psalms 35:16) So, what is it that God desires for our lives? Primarily He wants us to love Him, but given that we have choices that pull us away from loving Him, He has from before the foundations of the world made a plan of salvation to demonstrate His love towards us, that we might have the power to turn from those wrong choices, and take refuge in His loving arms. Therefore, God's number one plan for our lives is that of humility; humility in a sense that we must know how much we need His salvation, and how incredibly impossible it is for us to save ourselves. When it comes to the difference of living by faith or by works, the number one difference between the two has to do with where you begin; in other words, if you start out from a position of humility in knowing how unworthy you are to obtain righteousness by the law, then you that's where you remain; you're still in that state of unworthiness, so why would somehow think you are better than anyone else? Had Jesus come in a position of authority among those Jewish leaders, then they would have accepted Him, but He did not; He came as an outcast, a bastard, and one that hung out with sinners; certainly not what those that lived by the law would consider for their leader. Yet you see, Jesus did not come so save the righteous, but came to save sinners; those that realize their need to be saved are the ones that will believe in Him; those that do not realize their need to be saved, will not see the real need to believe in Jesus, nor will they understand the reason that they should, even if they think that they do believe in Him. Unfortunately, what happens to many well abiding Christians, is that they come to a place where they think that they have arrived; as Spirit filled believers, they can now walk as though they are high above many of those that might struggle with sin, or that might be weaker when it comes to spiritual things; which may be the truth, and it's made obvious by their lives; however, that does not give them the right to look down on those that are weaker, nor does that give them the right to boost above those that still suffer in sin. Those that act in such a way, must find their way back to their beginning, and from a point of humility, begin again; remembering from that which they were fallen, they continue in a spirit of humility, because any change that takes place in us is not of ourselves, it is of God! How can you honestly minister the gospel message without presenting the gospel message?
"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." (Romans 10:1-4)