“Thou shalt love the LORD thy God
with all thine heart,
& with all thy soul
& with all thy might.”
(Deut. 6:5)

I have heard this verse countless times. But have I taken it into consideration?

Lately, the Lord spoke to me through this. He asked me to search my heart: “Do you truly love ME above all else?” My immediate answer was, “Of course I do! I would be nothing without you, God.” But when I further thought about it…when it comes to everyday living,

Where are my thoughts?
Who do I go to for strength?
Where am I spending my time?
Whose favor am I seeking?
Do I relish the time I spend with Him?

O, when it comes to this, I find myself so lacking for love for my God–the holy One who requires my love and full surrender of every part of my life. Gill’s Commentary says, “God is to be loved because of the perfections of his nature, and the works of his hand, of nature, providence, and grace; and because of the relations he stands in to men, and especially to his own people; and because of his peculiar love to them…”

What is the deeper meaning of this verse?

“And thou shalt love
[to have affection for]
the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all
[properly the whole; hence all, any or every]
thy soul, and with all thy
might. [properly vehemence, that is, vehemently; by implication wholly, speedily]”
[definitions from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance]

My love for God should be a mighty fervor that is not divided among any other thing or person; perfect, pure, and complete love. My affection for Him should be whole, unmatched, and vehement!

“A superlative love, above all creatures whatever; with the whole of the affections of the heart, with great fervency and ardour of spirit, in the sincerity of the soul, and with all the strength of grace a man has, with such love that is as strong as death.” -Gill’s Commentary

How I need to place God on the throne of my life! How I need to give Him the honor in my life that He deserves!

How can I love God with all of my soul, with all of my heart, and all my very might?

There are many ways to do this, and I have not begun to find the answers. But we simply must make the choice. As a friend recently said, “He will help us!” He is faithful. God WILL give the rewards when we strive to seek Him. We are unable to know His face, but He WILL answer our quest for wisdom. Let us start today, to give God our hearts, our love. How can we begin to love God above all?

1. Yearn to love Him!

2. Humbly pray for more love for Him.

3. Spend time with Him in His word.

4. Dwell on Him throughout the day. Avoid distracting thoughts, non-glorifying music, and unprofitable books. Share your struggles with Him, and trust Him to take care of them–don’t think about it anymore.

5. Memorize Scripture. This will help us focus on Him throughout the day, if His word is in our heart.

6. Show His love to others! When we love God, we love others as well. (1Jn 4:20: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.”)

God should be my greatest love,
my highest goal,
my constant thought,
and my very being.
Is He?

 “Walk in love,

as Christ also hath loved us ,
& hath given himself for us an offering,
and a sacrifice to God.”
(Eph 5:2)