How to Love God with All Your Heart
As a Christian, it can be difficult to know how to love God with all your heart. By putting God in His proper place in our lives, we can learn to love Him in this way.
I was 18 years old when I got married, fresh out of high school and headed to college. My husband was my first real boyfriend, and I knew what real love was, because I was hopelessly in love with this man.
When I was 25, we welcomed our first child into the world, and I thought my heart was going to explode with love. Not only did I fall deeply and madly in love with this little being, but my love for my husband grew stronger as he stepped into his new role as the father of my children.
As he became a dad, I loved to see how he delicately held our son and just stared at his face. As my son grew, I loved to see how he and his dad would play together with mutual adoration, and my adoration for both grew as well.
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After having one child, I couldn’t imagine how I could love another being any more than I already did. I feared bringing another child into our home and our lives. How would I provide the same amount of love for two children? Wouldn’t the amount of love I had be divided between the two?
Despite these concerns, we did indeed welcome a second, and later a third, child into our lives, and boy was I wrong about how love works!
Instead of my love being divided as we added children to our family, my heart grew and my capacity for love grew larger than I ever could have imagined, and it continues to grow as I see each of my children interact with one another and with us.
How to love God with all your heart.
Deuteronomy 6:5:
5Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Mark 12:28-31:
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
As a new believer, I was very intimidated by Deuteronomy 6:5 and Mark 12:28-31. How do you love God with all your heart? Love isn’t something that just happens because you’re told to do it.
But that’s what I thought I needed to do. I needed to immediately love God deeply and intimately because I’m instructed to do so. As I struggled with this concept, I met Jesus along the way.
Make God your first priority.
It started with sermons and Christian-based books full of funny anecdotes and relatable content. Next I was praying here and there throughout my day. Then came daily devotionals that took just four minutes in the morning.
And then it led to the Bible, and Bible studies, and digging deeper into God’s word. As I spent more time learning about God’s character and promises, I started to see Him in my daily life more and more.
Things that I initially thought were coincidences were now clear to me as God’s intricate and detailed planning of every aspect of my life (Jeremiah 29:11).
Looking back, I could see clearly how God laid a path for me, and how I’d ended up where I was, at this specific moment in time. Places I never imagined I would be, I made it to, because God made it happen that way according to His good and perfect plan for me. When I make God a priority in my life, I am honoring Him and His call for me to love Him. Putting God first is the path to loving Him fully.
Love God more than His blessings.
God is a good father, and he provides good gifts for His children (Matthew 7:11).
But sometimes, it’s so easy to love everything that God provides for us that we forget to love Him just for who He is.
When the circumstances in my life are all going right, it’s easy to thank God and be satisfied. But when my circumstances are difficult - the kids are talking back; we experience a job loss; a family member’s health is failing - I can forget to be thankful.
I sometimes view God as a magical genie in the sky. My prayers are centered around the things I want God to do for me, rather than focusing on who God is and trusting in His provision for my life.
Matthew 6:30-33:
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
God knows what we need, and it’s His job to provide for us. It’s our job to seek Him first and to thank Him for his provisions (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Can I honestly say today that I love the Lord, my God, with my whole heart, soul, and strength? No, I cannot. And that’s because that’s not how love has been shown to me to work. My love can always grow.
Every time God shows up for me when I need Him to, my love for Him grows. And He always shows up. Every time I read a Bible passage that directly relates to what I’m currently going through, my love for God grows. Every time I pause and take the time to reflect on everything that I am grateful for in my life, my love for Him grows. And this love is outside of my current circumstances. I’ve been through some amazing times, and I’ve been through some extremely tough times, and either way, God is there, working on His good plan for me.
So no, I currently do not love God with everything that I have, because I’m constantly learning to love Him more. And that’s a journey that I will be on for the rest of my life. But when I commit to Him being my top priority, I am loving him the best way I know how.
Lord, thank you for always being there for me, every single day of my life.
Even when you feel distant and I feel that my prayers are going unanswered, I am grateful for the truth of your never-ending presence in my life. You are there for me throughout every circumstance, and as I continue to learn more and more about your character and trustworthiness, my love for you continues to grow. I pray that I never stop seeking you, and as I walk with you in this life, I pray that my love for you continues to grow until I can reach the point of loving you with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength. In Jesus’ name, amen.
How to love God with all your heart is a journey, and it’s one that you’ll be on your whole entire life. Focus on making God your first priority, and love Him more than His blessings, and you’ll get there.
Blessings Friend.
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