Think about the last time you really dug into something – really put your all into it. Maybe you were studying for a test or learning how to do a new task at work. Or maybe you were just trying to understand a confusing concept.
In any case, when you’re truly focused on something, it’s an incredibly satisfying experience. You might even say that it feels downright fulfilling. And that’s because when we apply our minds to something, we’re using one of the most valuable tools we have.
So it’s a little ironic that many Christians tend to think of their brains as nothing more than a computer.
We plug our minds into God, and then we leave them there until the next time we need to access Him, like some sort of supernatural search engine.
But if this were actually how our relationship with God worked, it’d be no better than an infomercial.
We’d only need the Lord when we needed Him, and then we could just shut everything down until next time.
So let’s flip this around. Imagine there was a way to love God so fiercely that it would change our lives forever.
You wouldn’t just know about Him; You’d feel like He was a part of you. You wouldn’t just know about His love; You’d feel it pulsating through your veins. And you wouldn’t just keep this relationship to yourself; You’d want everyone else around you to experience the same thing, too.
Okay, so,
Where Can We Learn How To love God?
We can find a lot of answers to this question from the Bible.
In Philippians 4:8, for example, we gain some insight about what leads to real joy and fulfillment.
“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
The 10 Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the fruit of the Spirit all outline how we can love God with our whole lives: through acts of generosity and service; by seeking to see beauty in every person; and by letting go of anger, pride and envy.
What’s more, the Bible is pretty clear about what happens when we don’t:
” Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.'” (Matthew 23:5-7)
Ouch.
From these verses, it’s pretty clear that when our love for God isn’t overpowering everything else in our lives, we’ll actually get off track pretty quickly. We might even convince ourselves that living like this is somehow okay.
But it’s not because the Bible is clear about what happens to those who don’t obey God.
“If you do not listen to me or take my side, I will completely ruin your family line. When you die, it will be as though you had never lived.” (Genesis 19:14)
So, What Does This Kind Of Love For God Look Like?
Well, that can vary from person to person. Some people might feel it through their faith in Jesus, some people through prayer and community, others through an intense desire to learn more about Him.
But one thing’s for sure: If we’re willing to take the Bible seriously, we’ll be on the right track.
And if we’re willing to take Jesus seriously, He makes it pretty clear how this deep love should affect our lives:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)
Okay, so maybe this “love for God” thing is a little extreme.
But it’s the only way to really know Him.
And if we want to go on loving Him well into eternity, we have to start by getting our priorities straight.
If we love Him with all that we are, it will completely change us—in a good way.
But if not, the consequences might be a little more extreme than we’ve been led to believe.
So do yourself a favor: Think about these things.
How Do You Love God With Your Soul?
To love God with your soul is to have a deep, probing love for Him that permeates into every part of your being. In the same way one cannot separate their body from their mind or spirit, so too can we not separate our love for God from our souls.
Love for God with your soul longs for acceptance from Him and responds by acting according to His desires.
To love God with your soul, you must first know how He wants to be loved. The Bible is full of teaching about how we are to treat the Lord (Exodus 20:2-14; Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:29; Luke 10:27; 1 Corinthians 16:22, etc.), and once we know how He wants to be loved we must respond in kind.
How Does One Love God With Their Mind?
The mind is the most complicated part of our being because it can be used for both good and evil. God tells us to seek Him with all our minds (Luke 10:27) so that we can discern what is truth, but also to reject anything else besides Him (1 Corinthians 2:5-16).
Modern times have brought with them great technological advancements, and as such we must be careful how we use our minds.
The internet has opened up a world of information to us at the click of a button, but we cannot become overwhelmed by all this abundance and begin to think that we know everything.
If we take in too much information without seeking God first about what is true, we will become trapped in the dark.
Loving God with our minds involves using them to seek truth so that we can fully understand the world around us and how it is part of His great design.
How Do You Love God With Your Body?
The Bible tells us that one cannot separate their spirit from their soul or their soul from their body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). This means that we must engage our entire person in loving God with all we have and are. So this raises the question, how do you go about loving God with your body? How do you love God with your body?
One way to love God with your body is through prayer. In the middle of a busy day, you can try setting aside just five minutes for prayer. You can pray while driving in your car, sitting at your desk at work, or even standing in line at the bank.
In French, there is a saying: “The soul has long arms.” The same way prayer can stretch out far beyond the limits of your physical body, it also reaches deep inside. Prayer can strengthen your physical body and give you the energy to do more for God.
If your physical body has been feeling sluggish lately, try giving it a boost with prayer.
You can also love God with your body through actions of service and loving-kindness towards those around you. You can start by performing some task that will bless those around you.
Love God with your body by loving those around you as well!
In the world, we can so easily fall into a pattern of forgetfulness and neglect when it comes to our spiritual lives. We focus so much on what is going on in this world that we can sometimes forget about what is happening in another realm. Using our physical bodies to love God can be a way of reminding us that He is not only near, but also always with us.
How Does One Love God With Their Strength?
To love God with your strength is to place His will above all else. To recognize that He gives you the power and ability to accomplish His desires, and respond accordingly by carrying out His plans.
To love God with your strength is to cultivate virtues that will allow you to become better attuned to His voice. To develop the spiritual muscles that help you remain strong in all things—to shed fear, sin, any other affliction—so He can do His work through you.
Forgiveness is one of those virtues. It’s key to having the strength of character. Without it, we can never move forward and find peace. We will forever be held hostage by our own pain and suffering.
Our spiritual muscles will never develop properly. We won’t even know what we’re capable of, because we lack the experience of forgiving those who have wronged us.
It’s easy to understand how someone might find it hard to forgive others for their wrongdoing, especially when they’ve been directly hurt.
But, from a faith perspective, it also becomes apparent that Christians must learn to forgive—to let go of their pain and seek retribution because only then can they truly show the love of Christ.
How Can I Train My Heart to Love God?
To love God is to seek Him and make Him the center of your life. It’s learning His ways and longing for the day you will be with Him in heaven—seeking meaning, purpose, joy, peace, happiness that only He can provide.
The only way to love God is to know Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8 tells us that “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” And John 3:16 says that “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.”
Know God through His Word, the Bible. Everything you need to know about loving Him is written there.
Here’s how you can train your heart to love God-
1) Spend time in His Word – God’s truth is the foundation for any relationship we want to have with Him. Read His words and learn what He has to say.
2) Make Jesus your focus – When you seek after Jesus, it’s impossible not to fall more and more in love with who He is as you get to know Him better.
Jesus taught His disciples to abide in Him – John 15:1-11
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
Spend time meditating on who Jesus is and how much He loves us. Seek Him with your whole heart, learning about His ways.
3) Meditating on the cross-The cross was God’s way of showing us that He loves us beyond words-He demonstrated His love in the greatest possible way when Jesus died for our sins.
4) Seek others to grow within your faith, serve them-Use your spiritual gifts, serve others in need—encourage people, show acts of kindness. When you do this, you’ll be amazed at how your love for God grows.
5) Let go of the things that are holding you back-Figure out what it is that’s keeping you from being all-in with God, and cut those things out of your life. It might take time to figure out what those things are, but keep asking Him to reveal them to you.
Stop spending time with people who don’t support your faith, and if need be-move to another place where you can grow closer to God. Don’t give up on God! He will never give up on you. Be patient with Him, seek Him daily, continue praying & keep trusting in His plan for your life.
What Kind Of Heart Does God Want?
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8.
He wants a grateful heart! He doesn’t want your grumbling– only thankfulness!
God deserves our praise because of what Jesus did on the cross. And He wants our hearts to be filled with gratitude for what He did.
The Bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). And the only way to prove that we love Him back is by loving others just as much!
“[God] loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” – 1 John 4:11
“[Jesus] gave His life to purchase freedom for slaves and forgiveness of sins for the whole world.” – 1 Timothy 2:6
So whether you are a slave or not– every human being is in need of a Savior! God wants your heart to be with Him and for you to love others with a grateful, loving heart.
“And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and to love one another as He commanded us.” – 1 John 3:23
So what are you waiting for? Give God thanks– and love others with a grateful heart!
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” – Ephesians 1:3
“May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation — the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ — for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” – Philippians 1:11
God wants you to have a grateful, loving heart. He wants you to know that when Jesus died on the cross– He accomplished what He came here to do! And that is why He deserves your praise!
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
How Do I Let God Into My Heart?
God is everywhere and everything. He is the air we breathe and the light surrounding us, even in darkness. He is your best friend – closer than any family member could ever be – who has only love for you, and wants to help you live a happier, healthier life.
Since God has no physical body, He works through people – His hands here on earth. He wants you to look for Him daily– by reading the Bible, praying & asking God questions.
He will answer your prayers if you listen carefully and trust in His plan. The first step is believing that He exists, and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You can do this when you sincerely pray a prayer of faith.
Prayer of Faith:
God, I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and then resurrected three days later. Please forgive me of my sins. I want to turn from sin and follow You. Please send Your Holy Spirit into my heart to help me live the life You want me to live. Thank You for Your forgiveness and eternal life! Thank you, God! I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
