Loving God

There are basically two commandments for the man in Christ and the first of them is to love God with all your heart and soul.[Matthew 22:37]. 

Having received God's abundant love, our response is to love him back. Our love for God should be more than words, it should be in action.

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength [Mark 12:30]

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' [Matt 22:37]

One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God [is] He who fights for you, as He promised you. Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God [Joshua 23:10-11]

2  Loving God - serving God

To love God is to serve God. Your claim of love for God must be seen in your service to God.

What are you doing that is solely for the Lord?

What abilities and gifts of yours are you using to please him? Serve God in your church and with your substance. 

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul [Deuteronomy 10:12]

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money  [Matthew 6:24]

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. [Romans 12:11]

3 Loving God - Devotion to God

To love God is to be devoted to him. To place a premium on God above all others, to be committed to him.

Not having any gods is not only about golden images, it is about not having anything competing with the space God should occupy in your heart. 

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul [Deutoronomy 10:12]

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.[Matthew 6:24]

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]

4 Loving God - Communing with him

Every love relationship is based on communication, severe the communicating line and the relationship ceases. Prayer is your communicating line with God.

Praying is proof of your love for God, it shows your dependence on him and love for him. 

Have you communicated with him today? he is waiting to hear from you. 

'While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God'. [Hebrews 5:7]

Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. [Isaiah 1:18]

I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!' [Psalm 116:1-2]

5 Loving God - pleasing God

When you love someone you seek to please him/her. It is no more all about yourself. Loving God is seeking to please him at all times, it is all about Him.

To please him, you do those things that he loves and are acceptable to him.

First by presenting your body as a pleasing sacrifice and offering spiritual sacrifices of praise continually. 

And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. [1John 3:22]

So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.[2 Corinthians 5:29]

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of [our] lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.[Hebrews 13:15-16]

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, [which is] your reasonable service. [Romans 12:1]

6 Loving God - Obey his words

To love God is to keep his commandments. To obey his words and his leading.

You must cherish his words in your heart and be careful to do them.

Jesus replied, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn't love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me." [John 14:23-24]

Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them." [John 14:21]

If you love me, obey my commandments.[John 14:15]

We know we love God's children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome[1John 5:2-3]

7 Loving God - Loving Man

To love God is easy, the challenge is often with loving your neighbour. The hurts, gossips, envy and outright betrayal, it can be difficult to love man. Yet the ultimate proof that you love God is when you love people.

While we will next consider how to walk in love towards people, it is important we know that we are not just doing it for ourselves or because we feel better after showing love, it is actually an expression of love to God.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another...[1John 4:10-12]

...God lives in us and his love is made complete in us [1john 4:12]

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. [1John 3:14]

*And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. [Mark 12:31]*

*If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. [1John 4:20-21]*