Loving God
On what basis does God command us to love him?
God has not called us to conjure up this life-consuming love for Him out of thin air. It isn’t primarily a test of our will-power as to whether we can achieve this level of love for God. He commands us to love Him based on several facts. Let’s consider a few here.
Firstly, he commands us to love Him based on His love for us. The Bible says in 1 John 4:19 that we love because he first loved us. Whether it’s the Old Testament or the New, God’s issue of commands follow the same pattern – demonstration of love followed by an invitation to obedience and faithfulness. What does this mean for us? Well it means this: Our love for God is primarily a response to the incomparable love that God has shown us in His Son Jesus. As Jesus died on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins, there was literally nothing more that He could give us - there is no greater love than a man laying down his life for his friends (John 15:13). This is of course the essence of the Gospel message - though we were far from God, sinners and His enemies (Rom.5:8, 10), though we were completely unworthy of God’s love and acceptance, He chose to send Jesus into this world to give Himself for us. It’s as we come to recognize more and more just how great the love of God for us really is that we are enabled to love Him in return. So, I wouldn’t personally call this a “command,” although it is, but a friendly invitation to faithfulness.
Secondly, he commands us to love him not for His sake, but for ours. Sometimes people ask me why does God demand worship and adulation from His creatures; is he a praise maniac like a tyrannical mafia boss? Absolutely not! He wants us to obey Him because when we are in a loving relationship with Him, we discover ourselves in the process; we come to know who we truly are. Since He’s our Creator, Sustainer, Savior and King, everything we have comes from Him. He’s the one who knows the purpose of our design and existence. When we live according to the purposes of the designer, we perform our best. Look at David for instance! He loved God’s Word and treasured it as though it was His greatest treasure (Read Psalm 119 for instance). God’s commands for David was as sweet as honey (v. 103). David obeyed God not merely because God demands it, but he knew that obeying God’s commands is a gift from God that contains secrets to successful living. As a result, more than fifty percent of his writing was about the importance of God’s Word and commands. No wonder he was called “a man after God’s own heart.” Now, having discussed what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and the basis by which God issues this command, the next obvious question is: “how do I make this a reality in my life?”