How To Love God: Practical Ways To Express Affection To The Lord

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Published by Kenneth Garcia

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Co-Founder of Biblekeeper, Author & Theologian

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The Greatest Commandment is to love the Heavenly Father with our everything. We ought to love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). He showed many acts of His steadfast love throughout generations of God’s people. God blesses His people with all His lovingkindness, faithfulness, miracles, salvation, healing, and abounding provision. He gave His one and only Son, Lord Jesus Christ as an atoning sacrifice for the sin of mankind.

We are created in God’s image and likeness with inherent feelings or affection. God desires that we live a life of devoted love to Him and unto others. But why it seems difficult for the generations of God’s people to follow this command? Many of us failed how to love God with such devotion while experiencing His unconditional love for us.

Key Takeaways

  • The article emphasizes the primary Christian directive to love God completely, rooted in acknowledgment of His boundless love for humanity.
  • It offers practical ways to demonstrate love for God, including prayer, meditation, obedience to His Word, service to others, sharing one’s faith, fellowship with believers, and reliance on the Holy Spirit.
  • Loving God is presented as an ongoing process of deepening one’s understanding, aligning with His teachings, and engaging in actions reflecting His love, resulting in a deepening bond over time.

What Does The Bible Say About How To Love God?

The command to “love the Lord your God” was mentioned repeatedly as a reminder to the Israelites before and after they enter the Promised Land. David expressed his love and adoration to God in the Book of Psalms. While Jesus quoted these commands several times in the Gospel Books such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Deuteronomy 6:5

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart[1] and with all your soul and with all your might.

Deuteronomy 7:9

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

Deuteronomy 10:12

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.

Joshua 22:5

But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Psalms 31:23

Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.

Matthew 22:36–37

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

2 John 1:6

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

An oil painting of a person kneeling in prayer, bathed in golden light

What Does Loving God Look Like?

Loving God looks like devoting a person’s whole life and being to God through the use of all the faculties of man’s body. The faculties of man’s body include his mind, heart, and abilities, together with the practical use of his time, energy, and resources to express one’s love for God.

A watercolor illustration depicting hands reaching towards the sky in a gesture of surrender

How Does God Want To Be Loved?

God wants to be loved in the standard of His commandments, statutes, ordinances, and laws as written in His word.

  • God wants to be loved with all our heart, mind, and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
  • God wants to be loved by living in obedience to His commandments. (2 John 1:6)
  • God wants to be loved by having no other gods (idols) before Him. (Exodus 20:3)
  • God wants to be loved by serving Him with all our hearts and soul. (Deuteronomy 10:12, 11:13; Joshua 22:5)
  • God wants to be loved by fearing Him. The highest reverence or respect to Him. (1 Samuel 12:24; Psalms 34:9)
A digital illustration featuring a figure gazing upwards with an expression of awe and adoration

7 Ways To Love God More Deeply

Love is spelled as TIME. Everything develops and grows when we use our time for a purpose. Spending time in knowing God is the way to love God more deeply. Putting God at the top of the list of your priorities makes a lot of difference. In the same way, God’s love always abounds as we seek the Lord with all our hearts.

1. Through Spending Time In Prayer

When we desire to love God, we put premiums on our quiet time at your secret place to meet God. It is the time that our whole being is yielded to God to hear His voice and worship in spirit and in truth. To pray is to breathe our soul, which allows a heart-to-heart talk with Him. The Bible says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalms 42:1–2).

2. Through Spending Time In Reading And Meditation On His Words

God’s Word is the way how God reveals Himself to us. This is the way He communicates with us, particularly to who He is (attributes of God), what he has done (performed miracles and wonders), and what He is able to do (His promises). Our knowledge of Him will lead us to experience God’s goodness and favor thus, making us love Him more. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).

3. Through Obeying God About Everything

The trademark that we love God is to obey God in everything. Obeying God’s commandments means we are living under His will, His protection, and His blessings. We will able to live a pleasing life in the sight of God. “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).

4. Through Self-Denial Service To Him

A fulfilling and satisfying life starts when we follow and serve God. It is in following and serving God we find our purpose and calling. It requires denying self and taking up the cross of Jesus. When God increases in us, we surrender our worldly desires and mindset and replaced them with a heavenly mindset. We are able to commit fully to the works of God here on earth.

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24).

5. Through Testimony And Witnessing

When we share our faith journey and experience, we bring encouragement and inspiration to others. Especially when we preach the gospel, we invite them to know and experience the love and grace of God in their own lives. We want the gift of eternal life be known to others.

6. Through Fellowship With Other Believers

Well-known sayings, “same feather flocks together” and “iron sharpens irons” are very true in our walk of faith to Jesus. When we spend time in fellowship with other believers, we increase our faith and love for God. It is in fellowship we find support and encouragement, prayer, study the Word, and build relationships.

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25).

7. Through Leading Of The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit empowers, counsels, teaches, and brings us to the understanding of the things of God. It manifests in different ways such as inner promptings, audible voice, thoughts and feelings, and even in external circumstances. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

A photograph showing a solitary figure standing in a beam of sunlight streaming through a canopy of trees

Summary

God’s Word and all the commandments tell us the ways how to love God. God loves us and wants us to spend time with Him. As we cultivate a relationship with the Father, the more He will reveal Himself to us through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The more we know and experience Him, the more our love for Him gets deeper and deeper. David is a great example of what loving God looks like. He is “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22).

Loving God involves both attitude and intentional actions. It encompasses spending time in prayer, worship, and reading His Word; deliberate obedience to His will and commandments; and serving Him wholeheartedly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you show love to God?

To show love to God, people often pray, meditate, and worship, expressing gratitude through rituals and acts of kindness. They believe in demonstrating faith and obedience while cultivating virtues like compassion and forgiveness as manifestations of divine love.

The ways individuals express love for God vary, encompassing personal devotion and communal religious practices.

How can I love God more fully?

To deepen love for God, regularly engage in prayer, meditation, and reflection on sacred teachings. Cultivate gratitude, humility, and compassion, while actively serving others and appreciating the divine in the world around you. This ongoing journey of spiritual growth involves sincerity, dedication, and openness to divine guidance.

What sacrifices will you make to show your love for God?

To show love for God, individuals may sacrifice time, comforts, and ego-driven desires in obedience to divine teachings. This includes dedicating time for prayer and worship, fasting, and supporting charitable causes. Such sacrifices foster a deeper connection with the divine and demonstrate devotion and surrender to divine will.

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