Do You Love God With All Your Heart?

[hishandmaiden]

I tried my best to love Him with all my hearts, but I fail Him many, many times in my life.
In spite of that, He still loves me.

 

[Prycejosh1987]

What would be your response to the somewhat provocative question: Do You Love God With All Your Heart? My own response came through asking myself some correlated questions. These helped me delve into this very fundamental Christian teaching.

What is your response to this very important question? How does it help you in your Christian walk reflect on it?

To me it is to understand what and who Jesus means to us personally.

 

[D2255]

Interesting topic. Its total commit and devotion to God . One hundred percent obedience. In Philippines, paul speaks of suffering for christ as Dedication. We see the connection. How many people are willing to carry there cross daily and follow Jesus. Many people are not going to appeal to persecution and give up there sins. Its sacrifice they won't do.

Carrying your own cross. Losing your friends or family. Your reputation is on the line. Will be persecution. There are consequences. Suffering. Testimony to others. Reward in heaven. Godly character. humility.
Proverbs 11:2
1 Peter 1:6
Matt 5:11
James 5:10
Malachi chapter 3.
Then they that feared the Lord spake often one another, and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of rembemberance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and thought upon his name.
3:17.
And they shall be mine , says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that Serves Him.

3:18
Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that Serves God, and him that Serves not. There are two sides of the Gulf. Righteous in paradise and wicked in sheol called hell. Luke chapter 16 to document. We see the consequences of obiedence and disobedience.

Jeremiah chapter 18. Potter and the clay. Arguing with God is fultile. Being children of light is carrying your own cross daily. Staying in darkness is disobedience and merits consequences. There decisions reflect outcome on each individual. God doesn't do plea bargain or listen to excuses. Judgement Day is at end of the milliumum, revelation chapter 20.
We understand this. Peace.

 

[Josheb]

What would be your response to the somewhat provocative question: Do You Love God With All Your Heart?

Sadly, no. While I love God more wholly and thoroughly with the passing of each day, the standard of perfection established by God is not yet obtained.

My own response came through asking myself some correlated questions.

And what would that "response" be?

These helped me delve into this very fundamental Christian teaching.

"These"? What are these other "these"?

What is your response to this very important question?

Humble submission to God in hopes of an ever-increasingly changed heart.

How does it help you in your Christian walk reflect on it?

The question helps to establish goals, boundaries, and expectations for the Christian life when all else that scripture says is considered. Removing one verse from its inherently reported contexts would, ironically, be an unloving act (and thereby antithetical to the goal implied by the op's inquiry.

Can you cite a person in the New Testament that the New Testament reports to have accomplished the goal of loving God with all of his or her heart?

 

[Josheb]

Thank you for answering. My reaction to this question when it was asked of me in the context of a Church study group was to split the question into the following: What does it mean to love God? What does it mean to love God with all our heart? What obstacles hinder us from loving God with all our hearts? What should we change to increase in our love for God, and what resources are at our disposal to love God with all our heart? I found the exercise useful as it led me to ponder over some biblical passage where this theme is presented and explained in Old and New Testament.

Not necessarily. Listening through to Do You Love God With All Your Heart? might help you understand why.

Do you realize you still haven't answered the question yourself?

Thank you for answering. My reaction to this question when it was asked of me in the context of a Church study group was to split the question into the following:

Why?

What does it mean to love God?

And what is your answer to that question?

What does it mean to love God with all our heart?

And what is your answer to that question?

What obstacles hinder us from loving God with all our hearts?

And what is your answer to that question?
How does knowing our obstacles help you love God with all your heart?

What should we change to increase in our love for God, and what resources are at our disposal to love God with all our heart?

Hmmm... that implies you can make changes that would improve your all-your-heart love of God. And what is your answer to that question?

I found the exercise useful as it led me to ponder over some biblical passage where this theme is presented and explained in Old and New Testament.

What benefit was the pondering?