The most important one,” Jesus answered, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these – Mark 12:29-31

PREFACE

Today we bring you the final part of20 Ways To Love God With All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, & Strength.

INTRODUCTION

 The Lord our God is the One and only LORD and we must love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. Our Lord Jesus Christ was quoting from Deut. 6:4-5 “Listen, O Israel !  The LORD is our God, the LORD alone . And you must love the LORD  your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”  whenHe answeredone of the teachers of the law as quoted above.  Jesus said that loving God with all of ourselves is the first and greatest commandment. This command, combined with the command to love your neighbour encompasses all the other Old Testament laws. God’s very essence is love; when we love one another, we are fulfilling God’s most fundamental wish for our lives. We shall, therefore, love the Lord our God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.

Last week we shared 10 Ways To Love God With All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, & Strength. Please enjoy the rest!

1. DEVELOP A DAILY BIBLE READING HABIT

We need the knowledge of God to be able to love Him and obey Him. To do that, we need to know Him, know what He did, and know His commandments. That’s why we need to have daily Bible reading as part of our routine. We need a moment when we stop and focus on God and hear His voice from Scripture.

Here are some suggestions to help us create a daily Bible reading habit:

• Schedule a quiet alone time, preferably the first thing in the morning.
• Choose a Bible format that works best for you (digital or paper, translation). Don’t be afraid to test many options or to change them after a while.
• Choose a reading plan to guide you. Start with topical reading plans that have shorter daily readings. Or, if you prefer, read one chapter a day, starting with the New Testament.
• Write down at least one thing you learned from that reading.

1. DEVELOP A DAILY PRAYER HABIT

Along with daily Bible reading, God’s people need to engage in daily prayer to God to mature in their personal relationship with Him. The more we know about God from the Bible (by reading and studying it), the more we learn to love Him. And the more we talk to Him in prayer, the more our relationship deepens. And the love we have for Him is strengthened by prayer.

We don’t need to limit ourselves to one single prayer time in the day. The Bible tells us to pray continually 1 Thessalonians 5:17, so  let us feel free to pray whenever we need or feel like it. But let us make sure to have specific prayer moments every day. Let us keep in mind that those are the times when we meet our Beloved.

Here are some suggestions to get us started or to improve our prayer time:

• Set aside 15 minutes to pray in the morning, after waking up, and at the end of the day, before going to bed.
• Choose a quiet place – Matthew 6:5-6.
• Have a conversational tone – prayer is a privileged with God.
• After praying, be silent for a few minutes and listen. Let God talk to you.
• Make a prayer list so you can remember what you need to pray about.  Also, write down how God answered those prayers.
• Study examples of prayers from the Bible – Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 22:41-42; the Psalms.
• Pray in the name of Jesus Christ – John 14:13-14, which means, pray by His authority, so His Will be done, not yours – 1 John 5:14-15.

1. STUDY THE BIBLE DILIGENTLY

We already know that we need to read the Bible and meditate on it daily. But we can go further if we want to pursue more profound spiritual growth, and that’s through Bible study.

Here are some suggestions:

• Use resources to help you explore the text better, like Study Bibles, dictionaries, Bible commentaries, and so on.
• Study with a partner or in small groups.
• Attend Bible classes in your local church.
• Attend Bible classes from reputable institutions.
• Pay attention to the sermons and study the biblical texts further by yourself.

1. PRAISE AND WORSHIP THE LORD

When we talk about praising and worshipping the Lord God, the first thing that comes to our minds is usually singing songs. It is a good and biblical way to do it, but it is not the only way. So, we need to understand what praise and worship mean, so they can help us love God more. To praise the Lord is to exalt who He is and what He has done – Psalm 150:2  – and let us be thankful for that. It is not about us – it is completely about Him. Praising Him leads us to worship Him, which is to adore and honour Him. It is an act of reverence. Praise and worship are powerful expressions of our love and admiration for the LORD.

1.  EXPRESS GRATITUDE TO GOD

The more we seek reasons to express our gratitude for what God has done for us, the more we love Him. The Bible says that everything good comes from Him – James 1:17.  Thus, we need to pay attention to the good things we have and intentionally thank God for them. That’s when we see the grace of God in our lives, and we learn to love Him more – Luke 7:36-50.

1.  SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL

Jesus told His disciples (including us) to preach the Gospel to everyone in the world – Mark 16:15. Loving is obeying, so we need to do what He told us to do. We must start by preaching to people around us. We don’t have to be preachers or  missionaries to engage in telling people about the good news of Jesus Christ. Whether or not we have the calling to go to a specific place to do it, we need to do our best to fulfill this mission that the Lord assigned to all of us.

1.  BE INVOLVED IN DISCIPLESHIP

Jesus commanded us to make disciples – Matthew 28:1.  To obey His command, we need to be discipled by a more mature believer and, as we grow in faith, let us start discipling newer Christians. Let us keep in mind that we must make disciples for Christ Jesus, not for ourselves. We should teach people to obey what the Lord has taught us –Matthew 28:20  – and follow Him. This is done by example, not only by speech. We must live as Jesus wants us to, so others will learn –1 Corinthians 11:1, Ephesians 5:1.

1.  BE INVOLVED IN MISSIONS.

Christians are called to be witnesses of Jesus and preach the Gospel in our local cities and unto the ends of the earth – Acts 1:8.  However, not everyone has the calling to go to other nations. Even if we don’t, we can still do something to advance the Gospel throughout the world.

Here are some suggestions:

• Pray for the missionaries.
• Donate to sponsor kingdom agenda business.
• Spread the word about missions in your local community.
• Talk to your local church leaders about adopting a missionary.
• Support Bible translation organisations.
• Be a local volunteer for a missionary organisation.
• Serve on a short-term mission trip.

1.  EXPRESS THE LOVE OF GOD BY SERVING OTHERS

Jesus said that He didn’t come to be served but to serve –Mark 10:45. He expects us, His followers, to do the same to others. Serving those around us is another way to express our love for God and to care about the things He cares about. See some practical examples in James 1:27, Isaiah 1:17, Psalm 82:3, Matthew 25:31-46.

• BE ACTIVE IN YOUR LOCAL CHURCH

Loving others begins in the church but is not limited to it –Galatians 6:10. So, don’t just be a mere churchgoer. Let us get involved with the beloved brothers and sisters in our community. It is not only about taking tasks inside the church building but also about serving our community with what we have to offer (talents, time, resources, etc.). Create and nurture relationships. By doing this, not only will we obey many commandments as we read in Galatians 5:13; John 13:34, 15:12; Romans 12:10; 1 John 3:18, 4:11,20,  but we will also express our love for God’s own beloved children.

End Piece!

The greatest commandment of all time teaches us that the first thing we need to learn in our Christian life is to love God with our whole being. This important commandment of God requires total commitment to Him and a decision of the will from the children of God to accomplish it.

If you have not yet confessed Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour, this is an opportunity to do so. And when you do, just surrender totally to Him with your eternal future, for He will never leave nor forsake you – Hebrews 13:5

STAY BLESSED!

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