Keys to Really Loving the God Who Loves and Made You
How can you know if you truly love God? It’s a deeply personal and challenging question. Jesus once said the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:30). That’s not a casual or half-hearted kind of love. It’s total, consuming, and life-defining.
But in the routine of daily life—busyness, ministry, family, even church—it’s easy to say we love God without actually examining how that love is expressed. So, how do we know if we’re truly loving God, and how can we grow in loving Him more deeply?
Here are a few keys to really loving the God who loves and made you:
1. Love Is More Than a Feeling—It’s a Decision
Feelings can come and go, but real love involves the will. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). That doesn’t mean we earn God’s love—it means our obedience is one of the ways we show our love for Him.
Loving God means choosing Him even when we don’t feel like it. It’s saying yes to His way when our flesh wants something else. It’s opening His Word and spending some quiet time with Him. It’s worshiping when we’re weary and trusting when we’re unsure.
2. We Love Because He First Loved Us
It’s impossible to love God without first understanding that He loved us first (1 John 4:19). He made you, saved you, and calls you by name. Any love we give back is simply a response to the overwhelming love He’s already shown.
When you meditate on His sacrifice—the cross, His patience, His daily mercy—it stirs real affection in your heart. Love grows when you slow down and let yourself be loved by Him again.
3. Love God with All You Are
Jesus didn’t say “Love God with most of your heart” or “on Sundays.” He said: “All your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”
- Heart – your emotions, affections, and desires
- Soul – your inner life and spiritual identity
- Mind – your thoughts, beliefs, and worldview
- Strength – your body, energy, and actions
Loving God isn’t compartmentalized. It touches every part of who we are.
Ask yourself: Is my love for God showing up in the way I think, feel, speak, and live?
4. Love for God Leads to Love for Others
Jesus paired the greatest commandment with the second: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you say you love God but harbor bitterness, gossip, or indifference toward others, something’s off.
Loving God spills over. It’s generous, kind, forgiving, and patient. It makes you a better spouse, parent, friend, and neighbor. You can’t love the Father and despise His children.
5. Loving God Is a Daily Choice
True love takes time and attention. Just like a healthy marriage or friendship, your love for God grows when you intentionally nurture it.
- Start each day with Him in Scripture and prayer
- Talk to Him throughout the day
- Thank Him for His goodness
- Repent quickly when you stumble
- Praise Him even when life is hard
- Serve Him and others with joy
Loving God isn’t something you settle once and for all—it’s a lifelong relationship of choosing Him over and over again.
6. Love That Lasts Is Rooted in Grace
Maybe you’ve failed. Maybe you feel dry or distant. The good news is, God’s love for you doesn’t depend on your performance. He’s not waiting for you to be perfect—He’s inviting you to draw near.
Let grace bring you back. Let the cross remind you: He loves you more than you know, and He’s worthy of your love in return.
Final Thoughts
So, do you really love God? Not just in theory—but in the way you live, worship, think, serve, and love others?
Don’t be discouraged if you fall short. We all do. But don’t settle either. Let today be a fresh start to love God more deeply, more practically, and more joyfully.
Because the God who made you—and who gave everything to save you—is worth it.
