Loving God

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© Nathan E. Brown FOLLOWING CHRIST comeafterme.

com

Loving God

1) What is the greatest commandment in the Bible?

A) The Pharisees once asked Jesus this same question. Jesus answered with a verse
from the Old Testament (OT) book of Deuteronomy: “You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the
great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38; Deuteronomy 6:5). This means
you should love God with every part of your being and to the utmost of your ability.

B) The Pharisees asked about the greatest commandment, but Jesus continued by
giving them another from the OT book of Leviticus: “And a second is like it: You shall
love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39; Leviticus 19:18b). Loving others is
closely related to loving God. John said, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his
brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot
love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20–21).

C) Jesus concluded his answer with this statement: “On these two commandments
depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40). The phrase “the Law and the
Prophets” refers to the OT, which was the Bible of Jesus’ day. Jesus’ point is that
everything God requires can be summarized by these two commands.

2) What does it mean to love God?

A) When you are saved, God sends the Holy Spirit to live in your heart (Romans 5:5).
The Spirit enables you to love God and have a relationship with Him (Galatians 4:6).
You are then responsible, by God’s grace, for nurturing that love and keeping it
strong and vibrant (Revelation 2:4–5). The Bible tells us that those who love God:

(1) are faithful to Him alone.


(2) obey Him with gladness.
(3) desire to please Him.
(4) seek their happiness in Him.
(5) work to build a closer relationship with Him.

B) Everything listed above is a function of your will. That is because love, although
truly a feeling, is also a commitment. Strong, enduring relationships require lots of
hard work!

3) Loving God means being faithful to Him alone.

A) When God spoke audibly to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, the first thing He
said was, “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the
place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me” (Exodus 20:2–3
NLT).

B) When we think of other “gods,” we typically think of idols made of wood, stone and
precious metals. But gods can also have a more subtle form—money, material
possessions, power, relationships, etc. Having another god (idolatry) means allowing
anything to take God’s rightful place of supremacy in your life.
© Nathan E. Brown FOLLOWING CHRIST comeafterme.com

C) How does this relate to loving God? Moses told the people of Israel: “Suppose there
are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they
promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they
then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before—do
not listen to them. The LORD your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with
all your heart and soul. Serve only the LORD your God and fear him alone. Obey his
commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him” (Deuteronomy 13:1–4 NLT). Loving
God means being faithful to Him alone.

D) Being faithful to God involves sacrifice. Moses went on to say, “Suppose someone
secretly entices you—even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or
your closest friend—and says, ‘Let us go worship other gods’…Do not give in or
listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them. You must put them to death!
Strike the first blow yourself, and then all the people must join in” (Deuteronomy
13:6a, 8–9 NLT). This teaches us how seriously God takes our faithfulness to Him.
You must do whatever it takes to maintain your commitment to Him alone.

E) The sacrifices you make to be faithful to God will not go unrewarded. When the
apostle Peter told Jesus how much he and the other disciples had given up to follow
Him, Jesus said, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or
mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will
inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29). This wonderful truth will help you remain
faithful to God alone.

4) Loving God means obeying Him with gladness.

A) Think back for a moment to your life as a sinner. You probably believed that you
were “doing your own thing” and “living your own life.” But nothing could be further
from the truth. In reality, you were a slave of sin (Romans 6:6). Paul said, “Don't you
realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a
slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to
righteous living.” (Romans 6:16 NLT).

B) What is the connection between obedience and loving God? Jesus said, “If you love
me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The apostle John said, “For this is
the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not
burdensome” (1 John 5:3). These passages teach us that love for God expresses itself
in obedience to His commands.

C) What is it that God commands? That you should love God and love others. That is all
God requires of you—nothing more or less. Now inevitably the question is asked,
“How do I love God and love others?” The answer is found by reading God’s word. As
you study it, you will learn how to live out these two commands. For example, if you
love others you will forgive them, be kind to them, pray for them, etc. (Ephesians
4:32; 6:18–19). If you love God you will read His word, spend time in prayer,
participate in a local church, etc. (Psalm 119:11; Mark 1:35; Hebrews 10:25).

D) Is it enough to simply obey God? No—your attitude is also very important. Psalm
100:2 says, “Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!”
This means you should obey God without grumbling or complaining (Philippians
2:14). Instead, you should serve Him with a cheerful spirit, grateful for His love and
© Nathan E. Brown FOLLOWING CHRIST comeafterme.com

mercy. God told the people of Israel: “If you do not serve the LORD your God with joy
and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, you will serve your
enemies whom the LORD will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty,
naked, and lacking in everything” (Deuteronomy 28:47–48 NLT). God’s blessings
should motivate you to obey Him with gladness!

5) Loving God means desiring to please Him.

A) We all know from personal experience that when you love someone, you want to
please them. It’s the same in your relationship with God. Your love for Him causes
you to desire to please Him in everything you do. Paul’s testimony was, “We make it
our goal to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV). This is the motto of those who truly
love God.

B) How can we please God? Paul told the Colossians, “We have not ceased to pray for
you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual
wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of
God.” (Colossians 1:9–10). This passage contains two important truths:

(1) First, you must be “filled with the knowledge of his will” in order to be “fully
pleasing to him.” You gain this knowledge by reading God’s Word and following
the leadership of the Holy Spirit (Romans 10:17; James 1:21–22; Galatians 5:25).

(a) The Bible is the revelation of God’s will. If you want to know what pleases
Him, read and study His Word. Do this with humility, asking God to open
your heart and mind so you can understand His truth (1 Corinthians 2:11–13).

(b) God’s will is also revealed through the leadership of the Spirit. For example,
God may lead you into a certain career, relationship, job, church or place.
You should regularly seek His will for the decisions you face. Remember—the
Spirit will never lead you contrary to Scripture. His guidance is always in
harmony with God’s Word.

(2) Second, God cares about every aspect of your life. The phrase “fully pleasing to
Him” means pleasing Him in all things. In other words, Paul is praying that the
Colossians would know how to please God in every area of their lives—work,
home, marriage, family, entertainment, ministry—everything.

C) Love for God is demonstrated by a desire to please Him in every area of your life.
This is more than just following a list of rules. You can obey a list of rules without
loving the rule-maker. However, if you love the one who made the rules, you will not
only obey him gladly, you will also desire to please him in everything you do.

6) Loving God means seeking our happiness in Him.

A) Everyone wants to be happy; it’s the basic motivating force behind all our decisions.
Is there anything wrong with this desire? Not at all! In fact, our problem is that our
desire for happiness is not strong enough!
© Nathan E. Brown FOLLOWING CHRIST comeafterme.com

(1) C. S. Lewis once commented that God “finds our desires not too strong, but too
weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and
ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go
on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the
offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”1

B) Did you know that God wants you to be happy? Consider the following verses from
the OT:

(1) “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you,
that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the
LORD your God is giving you” (Deuteronomy 5:16)

(2) “Keep the LORD's commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own
good” (Deuteronomy 10:13 HCSB).

(3) “How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways. When you
shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you”
(Psalm 128:1–2 NASB).

C) God calls you to obey Him by appealing to your desire for things be well, that is,
your desire for happiness. This implies two things: first, God designed you to seek
happiness, and second, true happiness is found only in a life of obedience to Him.

D) You seek your happiness in God by:

(1) Recognizing that “the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever
does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). If you remind yourself of this
truth on a daily basis, it will be easier to resist the passing pleasures of sin
(Hebrews 11:24–26).

(2) Being willing to deny yourself in the present so you may gain everything in the
future (Philippians 2:5–11). This is the way Christ lived—He left us an example that
we should “follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

(3) Saying with Paul, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content”


(Philippians 4:11). It’s biblical to do what you can to improve your life (1
Corinthians 7:21), but when you encounter circumstances that you cannot
change, contentment is the God-given ability to say to yourself, “It is enough”
(Hebrews 13:5).

(4) Rejoicing in Him—His attributes (love, mercy, justice, etc.), His saving grace, His
many blessings in your life (Psalm 32:10–11; Philippians 4:4). You should “give
thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1
Thessalonians 5:18).

E) If you do these things, you will find happiness and joy in this present life, and eternal
happiness in the life to come. God made you to be happy in Him—you cannot find
lasting happiness anywhere else.

1
C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965), 1–2.
© Nathan E. Brown FOLLOWING CHRIST comeafterme.com

7) Loving God means working to build a closer relationship with Him.

A) A strong, loving relationship is like a good garden. It’s a beautiful thing, but it doesn’t
happen by accident—it takes dedication and hard work. You need to be working
each day to cultivate a closer relationship with God. You do this by:

(1) Reading, studying and meditating on His Word. You need to be reading all of
God’s Word on a regular basis. This will help you keep a balanced perspective of
God. You also need to be studying the Bible, that is, working to truly understand
what it means and how it applies to your life (2 Timothy 2:7). Lastly, you need to
be memorizing and meditating on God’s Word (Psalm 119:15). This is how you
transform your mind so you can learn to think like Christ (Romans 12:2).

(2) Talking to Him. You need to be spending time each day in prayer. Remember
that talking to God is more than just giving Him a list of requests. Take time to
praise Him for who He is and what He’s doing in your life. Share the ordinary
things with Him—the events of the day, your thoughts and feelings, any
irritations and difficulties you’ve had, etc. God is interested in every part of your
life!

(3) Spending time with His people. You are part of the body of Christ—the Church.
God wants you to support, encourage and build up other believers in the faith
(Hebrews 3:13; 10:25). The Church deepens your relationship with God by
showing you what He’s doing in other people’s lives and by giving you the
accountability it takes to stay faithful to Him.

(4) Resisting temptation. Nothing will hinder your relationship with God like sin.
You need to be asking God each day for the grace to say ‘No!’ to the temptations
of the world, the flesh and the Devil (1 John 2:16; 1 Peter 2:11; 2 Corinthians 2:11).
And “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous” (1 John 2:1b). You should confess your sins, and “he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9;
James 5:16).

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