Loving God is the foundation of the Christian life and a lifelong journey
Loving God is the foundation of the Christian life, and it goes far beyond a fleeting emotion or a passing affection. To love God means to treasure Him above all things, to align our hearts with His will, and to live in a way that reflects our deep commitment and devotion to Him. Loving God is about relationship, obedience, worship, and a transformed life.
Loving God is a Commandment
In Matthew 22:37-38 (NLT), Jesus says, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Jesus calls this the most important commandment because everything in the Christian life flows from this primary love for God.
The Greek word used for love in this passage is agape (???p?), which refers to a selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial love. It is a love that places God first, above all else. Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind means that every aspect of our being—our emotions, our will, our intellect—is centred on Him.
Loving God is Obedience
Loving God is more than words or feelings; it is demonstrated through our obedience to His commands. Jesus makes this clear in John 14:15 (NLT): “If you love me, obey my commandments.” Obedience is the natural response to loving God. It’s not a burdensome duty but a joyful desire to honour Him in every area of our lives.
In fact, 1 John 5:3 (NLT) says, “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.” When we truly love God, obeying His Word becomes a delight rather than a chore because we understand that His commands are given for our good and His glory. It’s a love that shapes our choices, guides our behaviour, and transforms our priorities.
Loving God Means Surrender
To love God also means to surrender our will to His. In Romans 12:1 (NLT), the Apostle Paul urges, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
This passage calls us to offer our entire lives as an act of worship and surrender to God. Loving God is not just about Sunday worship; it’s about a lifestyle of sacrifice, where we continually lay down our own desires in order to follow His. True love for God leads us to relinquish control over our lives and trust Him fully, knowing that His plans for us are always good.
Loving God Means Trusting Him
At the heart of loving God is trust. In Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT), we are instructed, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” To love God is to trust Him with every aspect of our lives, even when things are uncertain, difficult, or beyond our understanding.
This kind of trust is rooted in the knowledge of who God is—His faithfulness, goodness, and sovereignty. When we trust Him, we acknowledge that He is our ultimate source of wisdom and guidance, and we allow His love to shape our lives.
Loving God Means Seeking Him
Loving God involves an ongoing, intentional pursuit of His presence. Psalm 63:1 (NLT) expresses this beautifully: “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.”
To love God is to have a deep hunger and thirst for Him, to desire to know Him more intimately and to experience His presence in our daily lives. This pursuit of God is not passive; it requires time in prayer, studying His Word, and worshipping Him. As we seek Him, we grow in our love for Him, and our relationship with Him deepens.
Loving God Means Loving Others
One of the most tangible ways we express our love for God is by loving others. In 1 John 4:20-21 (NLT), we read, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.”
Loving God and loving people are inseparable. When we love God, His love flows through us to others. It transforms how we relate to those around us—our family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers. This love is patient, kind, forgiving, and generous. It reflects the love that God has shown us through Christ, and it serves as a witness to the world that we belong to Him.
Loving God is Eternal
Finally, loving God is an eternal commitment. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT) reminds us, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” Our love for God does not end with this life; it continues into eternity. In heaven, we will experience the fullness of God’s love and will be able to worship Him perfectly. But even now, our love for God shapes our eternal perspective and fuels our hope in His promises.
Conclusion
To love God means to put Him first in everything, to obey Him, to trust Him, to seek Him, and to love others as He loves us. It’s not a casual relationship or an emotional experience—it’s a total commitment of our lives to the One who first loved us. As pastor and author A.W. Tozer once said, “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.”
Loving God is a lifelong journey of knowing Him more deeply, serving Him more faithfully, and reflecting His love to the world around us. And in doing so, we fulfil the greatest commandment and live out the purpose for which we were created.
