How to Love God According to the Bible

loving God
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Do you love God? How do you love Him? Do you love Him according to the Bible?

Loving God is not only shown through praying, going to the house of worship, praising Him with a song, or giving a portion of your income to the church. To love God, it will take more than those religious acts. And if we read the Holy Scriptures, we will realize that to love Him truly, we have to love Him not only with all our heart, soul, and mind but also with all our strength.

What does it mean to love God Video

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What does it mean to love God?

1. Love God is to know Him.

In order to love God, we have to know Him so that we can better understand what He wants for us. We show our love for Him by reading the Bible and trying to apply what we read. We also need to go to church, pray, be involved in Bible studies or small groups, and live our lives in a way that will honor Him.

Love for God requires that we spend time getting to know Him to better understand what He wants for us.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8, NLT)

 

I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me. (Proverbs 8:17, NLT)

 

2. We can show our love for God by spending time with Him.

God wants to spend time with us.

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty, is divided between God and the world. (James 4:8, NLT)

 

3. Love God is to obey Him.

We can show our love for God by obeying Him.

If you love me, obey my commandments. (John 14:15, NLT)

 

The believer will never be perfect in this life. We have an inner sin nature that always keeps us from being as close to God as we want to be and would like to be. Because of the sinful nature, believers repeatedly fall short of perfection in their relationship with God and are imperfectly obedient at times in some areas where they desire to live faithfully for Him. But because of the blood sacrifice of Christ, believers can accept His forgiveness when they fail and receive His help through the power He gives them so they will not fail again.

That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. (Ecclesiastes 12:13, NLT)

 

Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3, NLT)

 

When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. (John 15:10, NLT)

 

4. Love God is to worship and praise Him.

You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him. (Luke 4:8, NLT)

We worship and praise God by giving Him thanks in every circumstance of our lives. We are to worship and praise His name because He is worthy, and by doing so, we acknowledge His sovereignty over us.

5. Love God is to put Him first.

God is the beginning and end of all things. He is first in rank, honors, power, authority, and glory – so we should put Him first in our lives.

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. (Mark 12:30, NLT)

6. Love God is to serve Him.

Because we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, our salvation is not based on any type of works that we have done to earn it. But although God doesn’t expect us to earn salvation, He does expect us to serve Him once we have been saved. Serving God means doing the will of God and carrying out His purposes, plans, and goals for our lives.

But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul. (Joshua 22:5, NLT)

7. Love God is to trust in Him.

We show our love for God when we trust in Him to provide us with all things necessary for life and godliness.

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. (Psalm 37:4-5, NLT)

Why Should You Love God?

1. He loves us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NLT)

2. He designed and made us, in His image.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26, NLT)

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:14, NIV)

3. He disciplines us.

God disciplines us in order to bring us closer to Himself. God disciplines us so that we may see Him as the only one who can do what is best for our lives. He does this by drawing near to us in a way that we can be disciplined and learn from Him. However, it bears noting that this discipline is not to annihilate or destroy us but rather to bring about a sense of completeness in all things.

For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” (Hebrews 12:16, NLT)

4. He helps us in times of need.

God can be an ultimate source of love and help in times of need. If you’re feeling lonely, he is also there to comfort you. He does this by providing solace in the form of protection. He also provides care for the needs that we have. There are many reasons why one would want to love God; looking at just a few of these reasons is enough to make loving God something that many people can do.

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10, NLT)

 

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8, NLT)

5. He blesses us in many ways.

The fact is that God does bless us in many ways. He provides light when we need it, joy when we need it, and protection when we need it. He provides the opportunity for friends to come into our lives. He also gives us food to eat and water to drink. In general, he blesses us with so many things that are needed for survival, all of which have been given freely in order to enrich the lives of those who are blessed with his love.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV)

How to Love God?

It is important that we know and understand how to really love God. If you are looking for the right man or woman to be your partner in life, you might also be searching for a person who truly loves God. But how can you know if such a person indeed loves God if you, yourself, don’t even know how to genuinely love Him?

To guide you in loving God, here are 12 biblical ways to do it.

1. Know God.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – John 4:7-8 ESV.

Loving is knowing. If you want to love God, you have to know Him by reading the Bible, which is a compilation of books that describe Him – the Bible is like His autobiography. Listening to preachers sent by God will also help you increase your knowledge about Him.

2. Obey his commands.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. – John 14:15 (NIV)

If you keep on disobeying God’s commands, how can you say you love Him? Hence, grow your love by obeying His commandments. If you don’t know what those commandments are, you may find them in the Holy Bible. All the Lord’s instructions can be considered His commandments, from loving Him to loving your neighbors as you love yourself.

3. Love your brothers.

“If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” – 1 John 4:20 (NKJV)

Love your brothers and sisters, as well as your neighbors. As the passage says, how can you give love to God in heaven if you can’t even give love to people you can easily reach here on Earth?

4. Do not love money.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” – Matthew 6:24 ESV.

The love of money is the root of all evil (see 1 Timothy 6:10). If your heart is falling for money, then you cannot give your heart to God. Remember that He is a God of generosity and charity, not of greediness and avarice.

How to Love God According to the Bible
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5. Do not love worldly things.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. – 1 John 2:15 ESV

Aside from money, do not also love other material things that perish through the passage of time, as these can only result in greed, envy, gluttony, and even idolatry which are contradictory to the teachings of God. To start loving God is to start ending your love for those earthly things.

6. Love Him through honest actions.

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:17-18 (NIV)

If you say you love God, you have to practice it and not just declare it.

7. Be patient, kind, humble, truthful, righteous, and faithful.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV

The verses above describe beautifully what kind of love we should give to one another, and most especially to God.

8. Bind all your good virtues in perfect unity.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. – Colossians 3:12-14 NIV

One of the characteristics of true love is that it binds all your good virtues in perfect harmony. It unites your compassion, kindness, humility, and patience. So if you want to love God, you have to pick these qualities and bind them together instead of throwing and scattering them away.

9. Save your soul for Him.

“This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. – 1 John 4:17 NIV

God wants you to be in His kingdom. If you love God, believe in Him, be righteous, strengthen your faith through deeds, and follow His commands so that you can be confident that your soul will be saved and you will be with Him with everlasting life.

How to Love God According to the Bible
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10. Fear no evil.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18 NIV

To love God is to reject all evil, no matter how tempting and powerful they are. Being fearless is not only having no fear of evil but also having no fear of rejecting anything that it offers or give up anything you have previously received.

11. Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and might.

“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” – Mark 12:30 (NKJV)

Your love for God should not only be a product of your emotions, personality, and thoughts, but it should be the fruit of your actions or labor. And not just mere actions, but your best and finest endeavors! That is why the verse tells us that we should love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

12. Keep your love.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. – Proverbs 3:3-4 NIV

And of course, last but not the least, we should be persistent and keep our love as if our life depends on it.

As we understand, loving God requires knowing Him, obeying His commands faithfully, uniting all our good virtues, rejecting wickedness, serving the Lord loyally, loving him extraordinarily, and finally keeping that kind of love alive.

God first loved us. And if you haven’t truly loved Him yet, now is the right time to start doing it.

Bible Verses about Loving God Video

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Bible Verses about Loving God.

Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3, NLT)

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19, NIV)

 

And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

 

Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. (Deuteronomy 7:9, NLT)

 

“You must love the LORD your God and always obey his requirements, decrees, regulations, and commands. (Deuteronomy 11:1, NLT)

 

keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 1:21, NIV)

 

But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul. (Joshua 22:5, NLT)

 

Love the LORD, all you godly ones! For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant. (Psalm 31:23, NLT)

 

Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for He guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 97:10, NIV)

 

I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. (Psalm 116:1, NLT)

 

Jesus replied, “‘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. (Matthew 22:37-38, NLT)

 

And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law. (Mark 12:33, NLT)

 

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28, NLT)

 

But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. (1 Corinthians 8:3, NLT)

 

May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. (2 Thessalonians 3:5, NLT)

 

For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. (Hebrews 6:10, NLT)

 

Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? (James 2:5, NLT)

 

But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. (1 John 2:5, NLT)

 

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. (1 John 2:15, NLT)

 

If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? (1 John 3:17, NLT)

 

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:10, NLT)

 

And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. (1 John 4:17, NLT)

 

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? (1 John 4:20, NLT)

References:

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Victorino Q. Abrugar
Vic is the founder of InspiringTips.com. He regularly writes for the site and also serves as its digital marketing strategist. Vic likes to talk about true love, meaningful life, quantum physics, spiritual growth, and more.

33 thoughts on “How to Love God According to the Bible”

  1. Matthew 7: 7 (New Living Translation)
    “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
    A heart and a soul that love God is a gift from God. So let us practice all that is said in this article and above all, with all your heart keep on asking [prayer] God to grant you the grace to love Him with all your heart, with all your strength, and all your soul. Keep on seeking [mind &thoughts], and you will find. Keep on knocking [action], and the door will be opened to you.
    I have a son who is a professional basketball player. You won’t believe how much time those professionals spend practicing. So like them, let us practice love and constant prayers and practice more and more and with time and the grace of God, we will become professionals in the team of those who truly love God. Yes think of your team mates: Jesus Christ, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Enoch, Elijah, Paul, Peter, John, James, Isaiah, Daniel, …, all the prophets, and all the saints of God. Yes, you will join the best team ever: the assembly of God’s firstborn children in Heaven.
    Hebrew 12: 23 (New Living Translation)
    “You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.”
    I am practicing to be “drafted” in this team of those who love God with all their hearts, all their minds, and all their souls. Let pray for ourselves and pray for one another that our Father in Heaven grants us this grace while we practice what is said here in this article in spirit, in truth, in all humility, and in continuous prayer remembering that ” those who are with us are more than those who are against us”. All Glory to our Heavenly Father and his Christ. Amen!

    Reply
  2. This was truly a great article on loving God. The outline is a simple formula for loving our God.
    May God continue to bless you richly with uncommon favor and blessings.

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  3. What you wrote was wonderful, but I have seen many people that have counted on God for help, believed what scripture said about things being possible through Him and in the end felt abandoned because He never gave helped where it was needed. I cannot blame them for losing their when God was their life, but He was absent when they needed Him.

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    • He is never absent. His “unanswered pray” was actually answered …we just dont see it that way. His path chosen for us is the best path. Seriously what do we know, God our Father knows what’s best for us!

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    • God never act according to what you want but according to general and entire world.
      He can’t affect any because you want him to do… Thank you God.

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    • God will and always answers, He is never absent , the moment he is absent the person no longer exist, the thing Is even when God seem silent he is saying something all we need do is understand His language. Keep be living

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  4. Great job brother Vic , thank you so much for this guide . As basic as it is I am amazed how few of us believers truly follow it and how few preachers teach it .

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  5. God is good all the time! And all the time God is good so thank you for the powerful message of Gods word we have to encourage one another in faith sharing it and loving one another as Christ loves us God bless us all!

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  6. Do love money.
    “One can serve two masters, for he will love the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and the other. You can serve God and money.” – Matthew 6:24 ESV

    The love of money is the root of all good (see 1 Timothy 6:10). If your heart is falling for money, then you can give your heart to God. Remember that He is a God of greediness and avarice.

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  7. Hi, this is my first time reading this and in these last days i desire a Love for God. I need him and i don’t want to be left behind on this earth when he returns. So thank you so much for these steps Man of God..

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  8. Thank You for confirming my True Love for the Lord. I have search for his truth all my life and found his truth in Love before I became serious about my christianity. Now that Im serious I am flawed and I pray that The Lord will give me the strength to over come my disease of addiction to trade for addictions that will not harm me but give all the Glory to him. AMEN

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  9. i am a catholic put i don’t believe in religion i believe in Jesus i my dream is to become a professional soccer player i want to be saved by Jesus how can i pray and know that God hears my prayer what is wrong motives and what is pure motives how to never doubt and have confidence can i pray for my dream to come true how to pray according to God’s wil and how to not keep hatred in your heart i want Jesus to answer my prayers i know i have to be patience but how can i strenghten my faith in Jesus and to recieve the Holy Spirit can you help me i want to be saved and be in heaven with Jesus and i want my dream to come true and i want to score alot of goals and win titles i want to be confident and practice righteousness i want to be faithful i hope to get a responds thank you and God bless you

    Reply
    • 17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

      Listen to the word of God. You can download the Bible app and press play and it will read it out loud to you

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    • Please read Roman’s 10 Vs 9.simply pray to Jesus and surrender your life to him. As for your dreams ask God to direct you and let his will be done.

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    • At my church we study the Bible with people to help people become closer to God and we also teach people how to have a right relationship with God according to the Scriptures :). If you are serious about growing closer to God and need help along the way, please text or call me :). I would be honored to help you on your walk with God and also introduce you to brothers and sisters in Christ. 323-350-4203

      Reply
    • Hello Carson…Start with recognizing your thoughts and keep them turned to God in EVERY situation. Tell him your concerns, worries and sins that needs forgiveness and He will guide you, He has the love and encouragement you need. It’s not what you may want as far as being a pro soccer player but what God wants for you and trust me it’s the best path chosen. Pray to Father God and establish a relationship with Him for that is what He wants most. We are Gods children and He wants the best for us!

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    • To be saved, according to the Bible, one must hear the gospel, believe the gospel, Confess that Jesus is the Son of God, Repent of your sins, be baptized by immersion for the forgiveness of sins (Just like the example Jesus set for us via his own baptism), and remain faithful.
      Acts 2:38-
      Mark 16:16
      1 Peter 3:21-
      Matthew 3:13-17-
      John 3:5-
      Matthew 24:13-

      Saying a prayer, such as The Sinner‘s Prayer, is totally unscriptural and will not save anyone.

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    • The best is to Join Bible believing church partispate in any spiritual group in d church from there they put u truth ,and also under go fasting and prayers

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    • This was truly a blessing to read. It may have quite possibly saved my life. I needed this info/encouragement in the worst way. Eternally grateful, I humbly say thanks again.

      Reply
  10. Very good apostolate that you are involving yourself with sir Vic….keep it up and always remain a blessing to others…….May God continue to bless you a hundredfold!

    Reply

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