on acting out this faith thing

Just a few thoughts from the gospels today:
Matt. 26 The final judgement.
Jesus gathers all people to him and separates them into sheep (righteous) and goats (unrighteous). He says to the righteous, "come, you who are blessed by my Father, inhert the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirty and give you a drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them "truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
The same thing happens with the unrighteous. They are ordered to depart because they did not feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, or help the hurting.
Doing to "the least of these" is the same as doing to christ.
Interestingly this issue came up at bible study last night. I commented on how things have just happened in my life this week in which God has allowed me to be a part of his work, and how it just seems natural-what i should do. I dont feel as though i'm doing anything special. But i did challenge others there to examine themselves, ask if they care about others, and then invest their energy, time, and love into other people. Another person shot back, "but you have to be careful! you have to spend time with God first and love him first!" To which i responded with this passage- doing to the least of these is doing to christ. Spending time with them and loving them IS loving Christ.
Now moving on:
Mark 12. The Greatest Commandment.
What did Jesus say? Love the lord your god with all your heart and soul and mind and strength; love your neighbor as yourself. (There's lots to say here. I've thought in the past that we often miss the mind part, but now I see that we often miss the strength- especially since it's right before loving neighbors- acting it out, using our bodies!)
But what's striking me today is the response from a scribe who was sitting there, in on the conversation.
"And the scribe said to him, 'You are right, Teacher. You have truly sad that he is one, and there is no other besides him [God]. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength and to love one's neighbor as oneself is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.' And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him 'You are not far from the kingdom of God'."
Why didn't he say "you are a part of the kingdom of god" or "you will enter the kingdom of god"? This guy understood...he said it, he knew it. But he had not yet acted on it. If he really loved God, he'd be loving his neighbor. And once he did that, he'd be in on the kingdom.
Next! Luke 18. The Rich Young Ruler.
You know the story. This rich, handsome young guy comes up to Jesus and says, "what must i do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus says, i think a bit sarcastically- keep all the commandments. Rich man says, "Got it!". Jesus- "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." Again, this guy's intentions were good. But he was unwilling to act on it, or to sacrifice any of his comforts.
Last. John 15. Last supper, last words.
As he's about to be betrayed and killed, Jesus gives many words to his disciples, among which are these: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no on e than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you."
Love. Do we even love one another, our brothers and sisters? If not, how can we even begin to love the oppressed and weak and poor? No i'm not preaching a works-based salvation. But we must act on our faith! So many of us know so much, have been given so much, and say we love God! But do we? If so, we must show it! and not just to those around us who are comfortable with it, but to all people! What good is love if it is not shown? And if it is only given to those who are deserving, what is it worth? It is only cheap recognition of goodness in another person. But christ demonstrated his love in that while we were still sinners he DIED for us. If you got love, live it.

Update: Pay attention to this response post, esp. the last little paragraph. It clarifies a bit.

Dear Carmen...

Maybe i should run a dear-abby type column. Okay, maybe not, that would get old, but sometimes i get a little carried away. I had a recent facebook conversation with a friend:
Her on my wall: Have you read Boy meets Girl?
Me on her wall: Yes i have read it.
Her on my wall: What did you think?
okay, broad question that will require more than a wall to fix. and i think it might be good to make available to more folks to read. (disclaimer: the dating nazi may have struck again.)
hey friend,
that's a pretty hard question to answer, first because there's a lot to say and second because it's been a long time since i've read it. did you have anything specific in mind? First, i will say that there's nothing wrong with what Joshua Harris (the authour) is proposing. If you follow his directions, there really is nothing wrong with dating that way. However, i think people get caught up in the emotions of his view of a perfect and pure romance and start looking to the book and to morality-NOT TO GOD- to make decisions from and solve all their problems. so 1) there's nothing inherently wrong with his model, but 2)god may have something different in mind for you. he's THE creative one! You know i'm not convinced that courting is any better than dating or that there's even a real difference, but I do think as a generation and as a church we have gone a little too far on this. We are paranoid that we are going to miss the ONE PERFECT PERSON that God has for us and we base our whole lives and all our choices and all our fear on that. THAT'S WRONG. We have forgotten that 1) singleness is a gift from god. it is not something to seek to be rid of. it is something deserving contentment in and of itself. 2)if we live our lives each and every day in obedience to Christ, he will guide and direct us! he knows the plans he has for us, and that includes his plans for our relationships.
So look to god, not books for answers. anything you read, screen it through scripture and what you know about god and his character. and if you really dont think you know much at all about god and his character and what he thinks about you, then don't even be worrying about dating and all this messy stuff until you know god and who he says you are.

if i'm too preachy or if you have specific questions, please ask...you know i dont mind!
I have more thoughts...there could be more on this later....