The Two Greatest Commandments

Part 3: Loving God Heartedly

We have been walking through the Scripture Matthew 22:37-40 and have talked about two of the three commands (mind and soul) Christ revealed as the greatest commandment from God. First, we discussed how praying and meditating allows our minds to remain open, receptive and responsive to the Lord’s word. Next we reviewed God’s gift of free will and how it connects with our souls. Now it’s time to see the ways we can love our Father with the heart.

Loving God heartedly is all about faith, trust and action. Those three indispensable absolutes build an unshakable foundation in Christ and are at the heart of a saved life. Without them there is no way to know the truth of our existence. They are the gateway to eternal life and a difference maker in living holy every day.

Faith

Faith is more than just a word. It’s the heartbeat of believing in God for eternity. Unbelievers struggle with understanding the essence of faith because they use human tragedies as the means of discounting the truth about the Lord. They cannot grasp the mysterious workings of our Father because they still cling to individual comprehension of death. Faith is the link from earth into heaven.

I have heard time and again from people who don’t believe, “if there were a loving God, He wouldn’t let such horrible things happen to people.” A unsaved life is bonded to self-knowledge and lacks God’s wisdom. Real faith knows that sin is at the root of evilness and without salvation, through Christ it causes tremendous harm including death.

The Holy Spirit erases any doubt about the way God works in the human heart. The Lord wanted you to experience His presence in a profound and personal way. He made sure your faith was noticed by touching you in an undeniable manner. There is nothing in the world that comes close to the way God revealed Himself to you. He released His love inside your spirit.

The moment, you picked up your cross and relied on Christ, is an act of loving God. Your decision, to abandon yourself to the Messiah, demonstrated to the Lord your faith. One of the best ways to love God with your heart is trusting in His designed plan for you; especially when it’s difficult to understand.

Sometimes you might be puzzled by the Father’s answers, and this is an opportunity to grow stronger in faith by relying more on Him. For me the times, I draw closer to God, is when I am baffled over His vision. Because I know, His plan is far better than anyone I could design.

Trust

Trusting Christ is accepting whatever He reveals to us is divine, just and right. Sacrificing personal interest for God’s will is loving Him wholeheartedly. It’s here God sees our willingness to let go and let Christ take care of our wills and lives. There is no greater experience in life than glorifying the Lord through trusting Christ.

The more we mature in Christ, the better we become at trusting the road to eternal life. Our desire to let the Savior take center stage increases and the less concerned, we are in the flesh. We no longer want to rely solely on our knowledge because we trust God’s wisdom. Our testimony with the Lord’s guidance is all the proof we need because our lives have been touched by the Holy Spirit.

As the result of continually surrendering our lives over to Christ, we strive to become more like Him. We enjoy improving upon the Christian life God has so graciously given to us. We are spiritually awakened and know we will take our place in heaven.

Loving the Lord with our hearts is allowing Him to guide us in all our affairs. Seeking Christ’s direction in regards to family, friends, careers and finances enable us to make substantial Christian decisions based on trust. An active devotion to God ensures us the way we live our lives is righteous, and it demonstrates a Christian character firmly planted in godliness.

Action

Action is essential to loving the Lord with our hearts because it speaks louder than any word. Without action, love is meaningless. Our Father has provided us the ability to love. And the only way, for its fruit to ripen, is expressing it in our attitudes, thoughts and behaviors. So, that means we have to develop a personal relationship with Christ.

Salvation is a daily commitment to applying Christian values in all our affairs. The Lord presents us opportunities to love Him by placing commands in front of us to follow. Every time we behave by putting them into action we love Him. Obeying God is how we become inspired to find more ways to serve Him selflessly.

In the Ten Commandments, the first one is placing the Lord above anything else in our lives. Making our Father the top priority takes action. One of the fondest ways of expressing love to God is by placing our worldly obligations (family, friends' careers, etc.) on the back burner and spend time getting to know Him better. Private devotion pays the biggest dividend of all eternal life. It’s not impossible to make adjustments that will save our lives.

 Our Father graciously loves us leaving no excuses in loving Him. Praying, meditating and improving on living by His word are all actions. And the more we use them in our daily lives, the deeper our connection with Christ becomes the center of our attention.

Formulating the best possible relationship with God brings remarkable results because He is pleased when we love Him from our heats. By being faithful, trusting and active in your quest for Christ you become united with His kingdom. The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or just beginning your journey with God there, is always ways to improve loving Him with the heart.

How do you love God with the heart?

This article is part 3 of 4 discussing the Scripture Matthew 22:37-40