How does one love God?

I just had the idea to write about this the other night. How does one love God? I feel it's a good prelude to the blog I'm going to write soon about the Sabbath.

Some people I've talked to would answer this question rather easily. They would basically say to just love Him, like our normal human emotions would love a wife, family, friends, etc. While I definitely agree with this, loving God does go deeper! Loving the Lord also must be about obedience, and having faith evidenced by works and bearing good fruit. (I also believe that this is also the case for salvation, I smell another blog coming!) Let's take a look.

Matthew 22:36-40
[36] Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38] This is the first and great commandment.
[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Now, people (including my own father) like to distort this teaching that Jesus gives us. "Oh Jesus told us to love God and our neighbor, nothing else matters now! New covenant, yea!" They conveniently leave out verse 40. Following the two great commandments that Jesus gives would automatically cause one to fulfill all of the other commandments! If you loved God and your neighbor, would you kill, commit adultery, steal, covet, worship idols, and the like? Makes sense right?

So, what I'm getting at is that obedience is how a Christian shows his love for God. There are many conditional statements that Jesus gives us, and that other books in the Bible illustrate about loving God, even pertaining to our salvation. Now I'm not saying we're saved on works, we're saved by grace alone through Christ, but if we have no works that show evidence of our faith, it is dead.

James 2:14-26
[14] What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
[15] If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
[16] And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
[17] Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
[18] Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
[19] Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
[20] But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
[21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
[22] Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
[23] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
[24] Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
[25] Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
[26] For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

So, a Christian that "loves God" and doesn't show it outwardly in the slightest doesn't really have a leg to stand on.

Hebrews 5:9, speaking of Christ:
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Pretty self explanatory. Next, let's dive into 1 John, which very nicely illustrates what I'm saying here. From the second chapter:

[3] And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
[4] He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

Simple: If you keep God's commandments, it shows that you love Him, and that loving God is perfected through that obedience. If you don't keep His word, you're lying to yourself and you don't truly love God. It's an eye opener!

Chapter 3 elaborates further, under The test of belief in my KJV:
[18] My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
[19] And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
[20] For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
[21] Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
[22] And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
[23] And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
[24] And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

So here we learn a few things. Loving the word comes by deed (works) and truth. That's how we know we are of the truth. Also, if our heart (conscience) doesn't condemn us, we know God is pleased with us. If there's something tugging at you, chances are He wants you to do some soul searching! We also learn here that God's giving us our desires through prayer is conditional based upon obedience! Did you know that? God's not going to answer our prayers if we're breaking commandments and living outside His will! Scary but true! Ah, but if we keep His commandments, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit will abide in us.

John 14:15-21
[15] If ye love me, keep my commandments.
[16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
[19] Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
[20] At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
[21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

I can't stress all the red stuff enough! Loving God is conditional upon us obeying Him! Jesus himself said it. "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them!" are those that love Him!

1 John 5:2-3
[2] By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
[3] For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

I hope nobody gets "legalism" or "lordship salvation" out of this post. I'm not saying we have to obey the law in order to love God and be saved. We all slip up and sin, it's in our nature. Thing is, we have to get up and stay in the fight! We have to want to love God and obey His commandments! God gives us the grace to obey His word, we have to walk closely with Him. Throughout our lives we will experience more and more freedom from sin as time goes on. That's the beauty of being sanctified in Christ!

Ok, I think I'm going to wrap this semi-spontaneous study up. I feel that I've drummed enough into you and that you understand what the Bible is saying on how to truly love God. If you already knew this, excellent! If you didn't, I hope these passages in Scripture have changed your heart. Either way, please get this message out, because I don't think it's a popular one with the American church!