Learning to Love God
How do we truly learn to love God? As I reflect on Deuteronomy 11, I found insight into this question. Before reading it, let’s give some insight into what was happening. Moses started preparing the Israelites for life without him. And it is in the middle of Moses’ thoughts that we pick up in Deuteronomy 11. The Israelites have been wandering through the wilderness for 40 years as punishment for not having full faith in God. As we start reading the beginning of this chapter, Moses is speaking to the generation that was young when the wilderness wandering began.
Love and Serve the Lord
11 “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.
God has commanded us to love him. “Love” here indicates an emotion. It is action adjacent, but its emotion specific.
It is easy to command an action.
The heart cannot love what the mind does not know. How can you know God? You need to fix your eyes daily on Him. Have you ever wondered how you can love someone you cannot see? How can you do that?
One way is by spending time daily looking for God in His word and reflecting on what you just read. You need to spend more time getting to know Him than with yourself. When you do that, you will end up loving Him more than if you never have sought Him. The more we take our eyes off of ourselves and get to know the infinitely lovable God, the more we will love Him.
Below are a couple verses showing God’s love for us. They are a great place to get started knowing God. I have included with these verses what I gleaned about God.
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us.
Without doing a thing, we are ALREADY deeply and completely loved by God. This verse is close to my heart. It was the sharing of this verse that led to my baptism. I was hung up on thinking that God would only accept me if I was perfect, which I am not. Never have been and never will be. That is why I need God. That is why WE need God. But understanding that God accepted me with all my faults allowed me to commit my life to Him, completely and forever.
1 John 4:9-11 – This is how God showed His love among us; He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
God’s love isn’t abstract or theoretical. It was made visible through the sending of Jesus. True love is expressed through concrete actions, especially those that require sacrifice.
The list of verses above are just a beginning. What verses have helped you know God’s love better? I want to hear your favorites and what they’ve meant to you.
Love and Serve the Lord
11 “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.
God has commanded us to love him. “Love” here indicates an emotion. It is action adjacent, but its emotion specific.
It is easy to command an action.
- Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you
- Hebrews 13:16 – Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God
The heart cannot love what the mind does not know. How can you know God? You need to fix your eyes daily on Him. Have you ever wondered how you can love someone you cannot see? How can you do that?
One way is by spending time daily looking for God in His word and reflecting on what you just read. You need to spend more time getting to know Him than with yourself. When you do that, you will end up loving Him more than if you never have sought Him. The more we take our eyes off of ourselves and get to know the infinitely lovable God, the more we will love Him.
Below are a couple verses showing God’s love for us. They are a great place to get started knowing God. I have included with these verses what I gleaned about God.
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us.
Without doing a thing, we are ALREADY deeply and completely loved by God. This verse is close to my heart. It was the sharing of this verse that led to my baptism. I was hung up on thinking that God would only accept me if I was perfect, which I am not. Never have been and never will be. That is why I need God. That is why WE need God. But understanding that God accepted me with all my faults allowed me to commit my life to Him, completely and forever.
1 John 4:9-11 – This is how God showed His love among us; He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
God’s love isn’t abstract or theoretical. It was made visible through the sending of Jesus. True love is expressed through concrete actions, especially those that require sacrifice.
The list of verses above are just a beginning. What verses have helped you know God’s love better? I want to hear your favorites and what they’ve meant to you.
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