Matthew 22:36-37

36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"

37 And He said to him, ""YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'

Jesus says that every aspect of our being should love God. What is love? Do you love God? How do you know?

Webster’s dictionary defines love:

1. A strong affection for another.

2. An affection based on admiration.

3. A person’s devotion and adoration.

As you can see, there are really different levels of love. The principle is that your love for God grows and matures.

Where does it come from?

1 John 4:7-10

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

** A Christian’s love for God begins when he realized the magnitude of God’s love for him!

How do we know if we have come to love God?

1 John 2:3-5

3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

Don’t interpret this verse as keeping commandments, or following certain rules and regulations. The Bible has to be interpreted in the original language in which it was written. The word translated keep is TEREEOS, and it means to pay attention to, to protect, to guard or watch, to attend to carefully.

** Carefully attending to God’s word results in the highest love for God.

Remember, it’s a growth process. You won’t just wake up and all of a sudden love God, but it grows as you take in more of His word.

Think about love in the human realm. The only way your love for someone grows is when you get to know them. The only way to develop love for someone you can’t see is to know how they think.

1 Corinthians 2:16

16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

The only way to know how God thinks is to learn what His word says, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5

5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of (and for) God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

The only way love for God can exist is through taking in the Word of God.

As you grow to love God, what does God have in store for you?

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

1 Corinthians 2:9

9 but just as it is written,

"THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,

AND WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,

ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."

How do you know if you love God? How do you know if you love another person? Do you think about them?

When you love someone, that love becomes your motivation for thought, words, and action. When you grow to love God, your love for Him becomes your motivation.

With love for God, you will be able to face any bad situation with the attitude that you want what’s best for God. All that will matter is how God thinks, and what glorifies Him. That’s when God can give you all the things that are beyond your imagination!