Christian

How Do I Love God With All My Heart?

Cindy Dawson

Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38 NIV

Have you ever wondered how we do that? We usually associate love with a feeling. But is loving God a feeling? Is it an emotion? Or is it something else? I searched the Scriptures and this is what I learned:

First, We must love others.

“We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.  And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” 1 John 4:19-21 NIV

Second, We must know God. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture is God’s revelation of Himself. We must study the Bible to know the true God. If we don’t know Him, how can we love Him?

Some Christians today worship their own image of God, an image that serves their fleshly desires (to be financially rich, to have power, to be important, etc. This is worshiping an idol.

Third, We must understand our need for a Savior and accept His gift of grace. Because He loved us, He saved us. He paid a price we could not pay.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18 NIV

Fourth, We must seek to know and obey His commands. How can we say we love Him if we don’t seek to please Him? For example, are there sins stated in the Bible that we choose to ignore? Are there behaviors described in the Bible that are detestable to God, and yet we dismiss them as not applicable today?

Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15 NIV

If a behavior was detestable to God in the Old Testament, it is still detestable to Him,

“I the LORD do not change.” Malachi 3:6 NIV

Fifth, To love God we must love the truth more than our own opinion.

This must be the cry of our heart:

“Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me…” Psalm 25:4-5a NIV

Sixth, We must trust Him.

“Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10 NIV

Oh for grace to trust Him more!

Please share in the comments other ways we can show our love to God.

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

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16 thoughts on “How Do I Love God With All My Heart?”

  2. I think you covered this well, Cindy! My first thought was John 14.15, which you well brought into the discussion.

    We simply cannot love without a relationship with God. (1 John 4.19 We love him, because he first loved us.)

    Thank you for this concise, refreshing post.

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  3. The second greatest commandment:

    Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

    We are working on this one! How to reach our neighbors all around us that do not yet know Jesus…as we demonstrate acts of kindness and love them like Jesus would we pray they will come to know Him personally and love Him with all their hearts.❤️

    Bless you, Cindy

    ~Kathy

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    1. Thank you for adding your thoughts. You’re right, we must love our neighbor. Your prayers for your neighbors are not in vain. God hears. And He loves them, too! Blessings, Kathy!

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    1. God is not a created being. His name is “I am”. He has always been and forever He will be.
      The word eternal means “everlasting, having no beginning and no end.” Psalm 90:2 tells us about God’s eternality: “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
      Since humans measure everything in time, it is very hard for us to conceive of something that had no beginning, but has always been, and will continue forever. However, the Bible does not try to prove God’s existence or His eternality, but simply begins with the statement “In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1), indicating that at the beginning of recorded time, God was already in existence. From duration stretching backward without limit to duration stretching forward without limit, from eternal ages to eternal ages, God was and is forever.
      The Bible has all the answers to the questions of man. May God lead you in your search for truth.

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        1. God is Spirit, neither male nor female. While God is not a man, He chose a masculine form in order to reveal Himself to humanity. For example, God is our Father. God is referred to as “He” throughout the Bible, where the answers to all life’s questions can be found. God bless you as you seek Him!

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            1. If you are searching for truth (which I believe you are) I encourage you to read the Bible. I believe it is a great gift that God has given us. Jesus said, “Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

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