How to Love God
In the Old Testament,
Deuteronomy 6:5 says, ‘thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,
with all thine soul and with all thine might.’ Likewise, Matthew 22:37 also say
the same thing as Deuteronomy 6:5. This command is the greatest of all the commandments.
The natural man finds it
impossible to obey this command because he lives under the control of his fleshly
passions. The fleshly passion is the animal part of man, sensual and depraved
and in contrast to the spiritual man. He has no sense of spiritual values,
therefore lives for this world and its carnal pleasures (Romans 1:29-32),
fulfilling the lusts and desires of the flesh and mind (Ephesians 2:1-3).
Spiritual things are
foolishness to him because he cannot see their spiritual excellence since he is
spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-9). The natural man was born into this world as
a spiritually dead person and without a spiritual rebirth; he is heading to
eternal destruction at the end of his earthly phase.
The natural man cannot love
someone he does not know, so knowing Him is the first priority. This is why the
spiritual rebirth is necessary by which a man become born again (John 3:3) and
is transformed into a spiritual man who lives under the control of the Holy
Spirit and minds the things of the Spirit.
The spiritual man, having
been transformed now has the mind of Christ, therefore lives for Christ and
esteems spiritual values above the sensual and the carnal. He is a new creature
resurrected from spiritual death (2 Corinthians 5:17). The animal part of him
is crucified and put off (Ephesians 4:22-24) (Colossians 3:9) and he is now a
member of God’s family (John 1:12).
The spiritual man, who has
the mind of Christ, sets his sights on the things that are above (Colossians
3:2-3) and not of the earth. He demonstrates his love for God by seeking first
the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). He takes seriously the
command to love Him above all else and is consumed with the things of God.
He has a hunger and burning
thirst for righteousness. He is eager to study God’s Word (Joshua 1:8) (Psalm
1:1-3); eager to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17); eager to obey and honor God in
all things (1 John 5:2), and eager to share Jesus Christ with others (Mark
16:15). It is through these spiritual disciplines that the love for God grows
and matures to the glory of God.
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
Email: ayodeleade2002@yahoo.com
Phone: + 2348035978352
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