Why should you love God with all your heart?
Matthew 22:37 says, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” Jesus took all ten commandments and summed them up into two commands, which he called the greatest commandments. Today, I will cover the first one of the two.
What does this command mean?
It means that we must put God first. We must fully love God. We need to surrender ourselves to our loving heavenly father. We must not allow what we want in life to take the place of God’s will for our lives. If we love God, we will obey him and follow where he leads; this shows our love for him. He must take first place.
All decisions we make require us first to ask God his thoughts on what we are doing. Then we must heed his advice and follow what he says. The Bible is the easiest way to learn what God wants us to do. He shows us his plans for us each day if we are willing to open his word and listen to him.
Any decision we make should be carefully thought through by seeking his guidance. He has an opinion on everything we do. If you ask him a question, he will answer you with: yes, no, or wait. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. Although a lot of times, I struggle with the “Waiting” part. It’s hard not to act on something because our human nature is an “I want it now” mentality. But we need to have patience and wait for God’s timing.
Breath Prayers
We can love God with our minds by praying continuously throughout the day. This kind of prayer is called a breath prayer. You can say a breath prayer while driving, at work, or even cleaning the house. If a person angers you and you are about to respond angrily, take a minute and silently say a breath prayer to God to help you act in a Christ-like fashion towards this person.
Daily Devotions
If we are going to love God with all of our soul, we need to read our Bible every morning before heading out into a world that can be very cruel. Even though God has the world in the palm of his hands, the devil is everywhere, and we need to be prepared. We need to put on the armor of God so that we do not succumb to provocation by people that try to get us to act ungodly. Ephesians 6:11 says that we are to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the devil.
Humility
We can’t have a love for God if we are not humble. We need to heed God, and that requires humility. If we truly want to allow God to control our lives, it will show when our actions show Jesus in us by surrendering to his will. People will see that we are choosing God’s way and not our own.
Why should you love God with all your heart? God will bless you if you do. Start every morning by opening your Bible and praying for God to speak to you. Ask him to explain to you what you are reading. As you go through your day, say breath prayers, especially when the devil is tempting you. Finally, do a daily devotion to put on the armor of God so you are prepared for any situation that may arise. Don’t forget to allow God to reflect in all of your actions because it will show humility.
I love this post. Yes! I do love God with all of my heart! I can’t go without reading my devotionals each morning because they set my day and my heart in the right direction. Beautiful post!
Jill, that is wonderful. God bless you!
Great reminder to pray when you are tempted. I often write in my prayer journal for God to help me love Him more.
Love how you are able to break everything down so it makes sense!
I didn’t know they were called breath prayers, but that’s totally how I pray! Awesome read.
I’ve never heard it called a breath prayer before. That is really cool, and I find it helps keep my stress down to have those “breath prayers” thoughout the day!
I like the idea of a Breath prayer, and I didn’t realize I have been doing it recently. Doesn’t always work, but each of us can try
It seems so simple of a commandment, but really is hard to live! I try very hard to love God with all I am, but I still sin and fall short. Thank goodness He forgives and loves us no matter what!
Amen!
Love this blog. I believe you cannot truly love God without reading the Bible. The best way to know God’s will for you is to spend time with him. I would be lost without my time with God. Thanks for sharing.
Filling your heart with love is definitely a great way to live life <3
The point about being humble is a strong one.
Love it! My favorite one is humility. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting! I had never hear of the term “breath prayers” before reading this article. What spoke to me, was your section on humility. There would be lee issues in the world if people were more humble.
The answer is yes! I want to be better do better and love god fully!
Taking your daily time with God to fortify your day…each day is essential. Continual prayer throughout the day, even by just small under your breathe comments to God, keeps us ever mindful that He is with us all day every day, no matter where you are or what you are doing!
Never heard of breath prayers before but that’s really cool. I pray in short moments like that throughout my day all the time but never called them breath prayers before. Very cool.
I spend a lot of my prayer time asking for humility. It’s a struggle, for sure.
Oh! Love the ways of loving God. It’s the most beneficial and powerful thing to love God with all your heart. Thank you for sharing:)
I like your emphasis on really seeking guidance before making any decisions….so important, as we try our best to make the world a gentler place.
Beautiful post and outlook to live with your heart full of love.
On breath prayers – when my kids were little, I was involved in a mothers’ group at church. One of our session was a discussion on having a fuller prayer life, and a wonderful wise older mother mentioned that Jesus was always doing dishes with her. After an initial chuckle, we had an amazing conversation about the depth of prayer that can be done doing mindless housechores, like dishes or laundry. And it always makes me smile when I think of Jesus leaning against my kitchen counter, waiting patiently for me to wash dishes with Him!
I love it. God spent time with me painting my house. We spent many hours together.
He loved us 1st and more than anyone else ever could. Hard to comprehend, but makes us want to love Him as much as we are capable.
Life is breath and I practice daily on my mat just that. Breathing. Thanks for your insights.
This is so great! I struggle with patience too. I love the section on breath prayers! I’m going to try that!
It really does help set you for going about your day. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Loved learning about breath prayer.
we’ve just begun the process of introducing our oldest to God. His prayers are priceless, though they need some fine tuning, his heart is in the right place.
Wonderful Jason!
What a great reminder. Thanks!
I have daily ongoing conversations with God. I love the relationship we have.
That is wonderful, Cindy. I am so happy for you.
I love the focus on daily devotions. Helps me focus and center my day!
Beautiful post.