To love God is one of the key requirements that God has of Israel. God wants us to love Him.
It is important to understand that love manifest differently; the manifestations of love are determined by who is giving them love and who is receiving it. A father loving his child is not the same as a child loving a father. When the father is loving his child, the love is flowing from up to the lesser person; but when a child is loving the father, the love is flowing upwards. The characteristics and nature of these loves are not the same.
We must, therefore, strive to understand the typical characteristics of loving God.
The first thing to note about loving God is the fact that it is a supernatural work of God. No man can love God except the Holy Spirit has shed that love abroad in their hearts. Loving God is a supernatural act of the Holy Spirit.
[Romans 5:5 KJV] “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”.
That is why the apostles prayed that the Lord should direct the hearts of the church into the love of God. You may never be able to love until your heart is directed that way.
[2 Thessalonians 3:5 KJV] “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.”
We must always pray that the Lord shall direct our hearts into His love. May you not miss this direction!
Why should we love God?
Why do people love God?
1. We love and must love God because He first loved us.
He loved us when there was nothing loveable about us. That is why I love Him. He loves me and I love him.
[1 John 4:19 KJV] “We love him, because he first loved us.”
2. We love Him so much because He has forgiven us so much.
In Luke 7:44-50, Mary showed Jesus her love because she was forgiven. She washed His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and never ceased kissing His feet. She understood the value of what He had done for her.
3. We love God so that all things will work together to our good.
[Romans 8:28] “All things will work together to our good because we love Him and are the called according to His purpose.”
4. When we set our love upon Him, he delivers us.
Psalm 91:14
How can we love God
We can manifest our love towards Him by
- Submitting and prostrating and worshipping
- Obeying His commandment
- Loving the brethren
- Honouring His word
- Taking care of His work
- Enduring His chastening and correction
Conclusion
This is the time to love the Lord. It is not enough to serve and obey but we must learn to love the Lord. He wants us to love Him and we can, when we understand the value of what He has done for us.
Stay blessed
