You must love HIM with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:20) (CEV)
God desires that we should love him and Jesus Christ expressed how we are expected to love him in Mark 12:30. He demands that we should love him with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength. This also implies obeying him, walking in his ways, loving other people and not loving the world.
Love God with all your heart.
If you love someone, you are likely to think about that person often. Do you think about God often? In Col. 3:1-3, the bible says we should set our hearts on the things above. This means you should strongly desire, fixing your mind on the things of God. The things above are the things of the Spirit of God. If your heart does not desire spiritual things with passion, then you need to make a decision to fix your mind on spiritual things more than you did in the past.
If you love someone, you are likely to talk about him/her often. In the same way, if you love God, you will talk about Him and his kingdom most of the time. Issues about the kingdom of God will catch your attention and passion. Evangelism, building up other Christians, contributing to God’s work and the lives of his servants will not be a burden to you.
Love God with all your Soul
Your soul involves your will, emotions and mind. This means that loving God is not limited to the actions that flow from your heart. You should purposely exercise your will to love him by praying, studying and obeying his word even if you don’t really enjoy it. After practising this for some time, your desires will follow in the direction that your spirit is leading and you will just find out that you really love and enjoy them.
God is a person who has feelings, emotions and responds to our love; therefore love him with your emotions. Express your love in different ways just like you do when you are trying to court a marriage partner.
Love God with all your strength
If you truly love God, you will let him have your strength, money, time, energy, and other resources.
Do you use your energy for God? You should be actively involved in service in the kingdom. It’s not proper for a child of God not to contribute anything to his/her local church or fellowship. In 1 Cor. 15:58, Paul admonished Christians to stand firm, and not be shaken, always keep busy working for the Lord, knowing that everything we do for him is worthwhile (CEV). If you love him, you will serve him.
Can you imagine a man who is very romantic; always making love to his wife but never lifts his finger to help her do anything within or outside the home or get someone to help her. The love may be interesting initially, but it will die after a while. 1 John 3:18 says you show love for others by truly helping them and not merely by talking about it. God is watching your heart to see how much you can sincerely lay down for him.
You use your strength to get money and other materials. If you love him with all your strength, you should serve him with those resources. Proverbs 3:9 says you should honour the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your increase. How much of your money or materials do you give to God? In Malachi 3:8-10, God said that if you don’t give him your tithes (10% of your profit/income) and other offerings, you are robbing him. I have been paying tithes since I was in secondary school and I have experienced the blessings of God beyond my natural efforts.
What you love can be judged by what you spend money and other resources on. Many men love electronics and other gadgets. They may say they can’t afford an expensive dress but they can afford an expensive gadget. On the other hand, many women love jewelleries and beautiful dresses. They may not place priorities on expensive electronics but they find a way out to be able to buy dresses and jewelleries. Honour and love God with what you have by giving to him first, He will bless whatever remains, you will not lack.
In Psalm 122:1, David said, ‘’I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord’’. How much time do you give to God in a day? If God told us to give him ten percent (10%) of our money, then we should think of giving him close to 10 % of our time; thanking, praising, worshipping, praying to him, studying his word and doing His work.
Loving him implies obedience.
If you truly love God, you will keep his commandments (John 14:15, 1 John 5:3) because you would not want to offend him. Decide to make God’s words the final authority in your life, walk in all his ways and He will know that you really love him.
Loving him implies not loving the world. 1 John 2:15
The love of God and the love of earthly things are incompatible. If you give place to the love of the world, the love of God cannot dwell in you; and If you don’t have his love, you can’t have peace, holiness or heaven. Some people misinterpret loving the world as not using it. No ! Psalm 24:1 says ‘’The earth and everything on it, including its people, belong to the Lord. You can have and use anything in the world, but you should not allow anything to occupy your heart. Don’t seek after it inordinately or delight in it in an undue measure.
Love overflows
If you really love God, it will overflow to the people around you. (1 John 4:20), you will love his children and his kingdom.
Loving God has several advantages
God promised in Deut. 30:16, that if you love and obey him, you will live and become successful and powerful. Moreover, in Psalm 31:23, the bible says God protects those who love him but severely punishes everyone who is proud.
Conclusion: If you love God with all your heart, soul and strength, you will experience abundant life, multiplication and several blessings. You will experience preservation and prosperity.