How Can We Love God?

Mark 12:28-34 One of the teachers of the law asked Jesus which of all the commandments was the greatest. Jesus’ answer was “‘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 neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.” The question then comes to mind, how can we express this love to God that we are commanded to give? What kind of expression is acceptable? And how can we express it to this magnitude? In the book The Five Love Languages, written by Gary Chapman in 1995, he talks about five different ways that we express and perceive love. If we wish to express love, particularly to our mates, we need to learn what types of expressions causes them to feel loved. Chapman identifies five different types of expressions that he calls “Love Languages”. They are: Quality time, Words of affirmation, Gifts, Acts of service, and Physical touch. Since we are made in the image of God, isn’t it reasonable that they might be useful to consider in expressing our love for Him. Quality time: He never leaves us nor forsakes us — we spend time in the Word, in prayer, in meditation etc. Words of affirmation: in our praise and our prayers. His Word is replete with His affirming words to us. Gifts: certainly tithes and offerings, but consider “whatsoever you have done to the least of these, you have done it unto Me.” God Gave us His Son and a whole lot more. Acts of service: as we serve others, we are expressing our love to Him. One could write a book on how God loves us with ‘acts of service’. Physical touch: Do you suppose that “lifting up holy hands” is all about touching Him. Notice in the gospels how often Jesus touched people. And when He touches us in our spirts — that’s better than physical touch. With these in mind, began to consider ways to express your love for God. Also notice how many ways each day God is expressing His love for you.