What It Means to Love God

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. (Psalm 63:1–2)

Only God will satisfy a heart like David’s. And David was a man after God’s own heart. That’s the way we were created to be.

This is the essence of what it means to love God: to be satisfied in him. In him — not just his gifts, but God himself, as the glorious person that he is!

Loving God will include obeying all his commands; it will include believing all his word; it will include thanking him for all his gifts. But all that is overflow. The essence of loving God is admiring and enjoying all he is. And it is this enjoyment of God that makes all of our other responses truly glorifying to him.

We all know this intuitively as well as from Scripture. Do we feel most honored by the love of those who serve us from the constraints of duty, or from the delights of fellowship?

My wife is most honored when I say, “It makes me happy to spend time with you.” My happiness is the echo of her excellence. And so it is with God. He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

None of us has arrived at perfect satisfaction in God. I grieve often over the murmuring of my heart when I lose some earthly comfort or convenience. But I have tasted that the Lord is good. By God’s grace I now know the fountain of everlasting joy.

And so I love to spend my days luring people into joy until they say with me, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

John Piper 

What It Means to Love God

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. (Psalm 63:1–2)

Only God will satisfy a heart like David’s. And David was a man after God’s own heart. That’s the way we were created to be.

This is the essence of what it means to love God: to be satisfied in him. In him — not just his gifts, but God himself, as the glorious person that he is!

Loving God will include obeying all his commands; it will include believing all his word; it will include thanking him for all his gifts. But all that is overflow. The essence of loving God is admiring and enjoying all he is. And it is this enjoyment of God that makes all of our other responses truly glorifying to him.

We all know this intuitively as well as from Scripture. Do we feel most honored by the love of those who serve us from the constraints of duty, or from the delights of fellowship?

My wife is most honored when I say, “It makes me happy to spend time with you.” My happiness is the echo of her excellence. And so it is with God. He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

None of us has arrived at perfect satisfaction in God. I grieve often over the murmuring of my heart when I lose some earthly comfort or convenience. But I have tasted that the Lord is good. By God’s grace I now know the fountain of everlasting joy.

And so I love to spend my days luring people into joy until they say with me, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

John Piper 

What It Means to Love God

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. (Psalm 63:1–2)

Only God will satisfy a heart like David’s. And David was a man after God’s own heart. That’s the way we were created to be.

This is the essence of what it means to love God: to be satisfied in him. In him — not just his gifts, but God himself, as the glorious person that he is!

Loving God will include obeying all his commands; it will include believing all his word; it will include thanking him for all his gifts. But all that is overflow. The essence of loving God is admiring and enjoying all he is. And it is this enjoyment of God that makes all of our other responses truly glorifying to him.

We all know this intuitively as well as from Scripture. Do we feel most honored by the love of those who serve us from the constraints of duty, or from the delights of fellowship?

My wife is most honored when I say, “It makes me happy to spend time with you.” My happiness is the echo of her excellence. And so it is with God. He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

None of us has arrived at perfect satisfaction in God. I grieve often over the murmuring of my heart when I lose some earthly comfort or convenience. But I have tasted that the Lord is good. By God’s grace I now know the fountain of everlasting joy.

And so I love to spend my days luring people into joy until they say with me, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

John Piper 

Are You Building Your Family on the Right Foundation?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5

 

PONDER THIS

What is the foundation for the family? It is love for God. That may sound simplistic, but it is incredibly true and profound. Loving God with a sincere love means with all your heart, moms and dads. If you do not sincerely love God, you don’t have much of a chance of having a successful family according to the Bible’s standards. As a matter of fact, you have no real chance of having a successful family.

Many kids are turned off because they see that their parents profess religion, but they don’t love God with all their hearts. We’re to love God with a sincere love. We’re to love God with a selfless love. We’re to love God with all our souls. Kids are looking for parents who have such integrity that there is nothing in their lives marked off as private from God. Kids want to see parents who bring God into their family, recreation, business, and their marital relationship. This is a sincere love, a selfless love, and a strong love.

What foundation was your family built on? How did that affect your upbringing?

How would your life change if you were to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray that God would grow your love for Him and help you share that love with others.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What It Means to Love God

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. (Psalm 63:1–2)

Only God will satisfy a heart like David’s. And David was a man after God’s own heart. That’s the way we were created to be.

This is the essence of what it means to love God: to be satisfied in him. In him — not just his gifts, but God himself, as the glorious person that he is!

Loving God will include obeying all his commands; it will include believing all his word; it will include thanking him for all his gifts. But all that is overflow. The essence of loving God is admiring and enjoying all he is. And it is this enjoyment of God that makes all of our other responses truly glorifying to him.

We all know this intuitively as well as from Scripture. Do we feel most honored by the love of those who serve us from the constraints of duty, or from the delights of fellowship?

My wife is most honored when I say, “It makes me happy to spend time with you.” My happiness is the echo of her excellence. And so it is with God. He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

None of us has arrived at perfect satisfaction in God. I grieve often over the murmuring of my heart when I lose some earthly comfort or convenience. But I have tasted that the Lord is good. By God’s grace I now know the fountain of everlasting joy.

And so I love to spend my days luring people into joy until they say with me, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

John Piper 

Do You Love God Selflessly and Strongly?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” Psalm 119:2

 

PONDER THIS

Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Your soul is yourself. The whole self, the total self, needs to be given over to God. There should be no area in your life that is off limits to God. How are you going to teach your children there is one Lord? They are to see in you that one love. They are to see in you a sincere love and a selfless love for our Lord.

Do you know how I can measure any person pretty well? I only need to see two things. I’m talking about your calendar and your bank account. Where are you putting your time? Where are you putting your money? You’re to love God selflessly.

There is also to be a strong love. You’re to love God with all your might—every inch, every ounce, and every nerve. He’s not just talking here about physical strength. He’s talking about whatever strength you have: emotional strength, financial strength, intellectual strength. Love Him selflessly. Love Him strongly.

Which one do you struggle with more: loving God selflessly or strongly?

What areas have you made “off limits” to God?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray about what areas you consider off limits to God and surrender those things to Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Children Can See Through Phony Love

PRAY OVER THIS

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:4-7

 

PONDER THIS

We are to love God supremely. We’re to love Him with sincere love, with all of our hearts. Jesus spoke of people who honored God with their words, but He said, “But their heart is far from Me” (Matthew 15:8). Do you know what your children need to see in your home? They need to see sincere love. They need to see in you a burning, passionate, emotional sincerity when it comes to the things of God. Kids can spot a phony a mile away, and they know whether or not you love God with all of your heart. And it is the phoniness of parents, by and large, that turns kids off to the things of God.

There was a young Jewish boy who lived with his father in Germany. His father was a successful merchant. They had moved from Germany to England. Having always practiced Judaism, the boy was surprised to see his father joined a Lutheran church. That boy asked, “Dad, why did you join a Lutheran church?” And the father said, “Well son we, we live in a different place now and there are so many Lutherans in this particular place in this particular town. It is good for business.” At that moment, that boy, who had a deep interest in religion, lost it all. Kids can spot a phony. You’re to love God with a sincere love.

What does it look like to be phony in your faith?

What does it look like to love God with a sincere love?

PRACTICE THIS

Speak to someone you have seen love God with a sincere love; ask for a word of encouragement or insight on what motivates that person to live with sincere faith.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Express Love to God

PRAY OVER THIS

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." John 4:23

 

PONDER THIS

I once had the pleasure of attending a father-daughter banquet with my daughter, Janice, and we were in the program for the evening. Janice stood up first and spoke of what her father meant to her. I could not tell you how my heart was blessed, how deeply moved I was, and how grateful I was to hear my child speak not only privately to me, but openly and publicly of her love and devotion to her father. That’s the way God’s great heart is. It gives Him pleasure when we worship. A father wants love.

Now, I’ve got some good news for you. Every Father’s Day little children wonder, “What can I get for daddy? What can we give daddy?” You could give him some slippers, or you could give him a tie, but you know what your daddy wants? Love! What can you give to God today? You say, “Well, I can’t sing like these people sing. I can’t preach like so-and-so. I can’t do this. I can’t do that.” There is nobody who can love God better than you can, and that’s what God wants more than anything else. Isn’t that great?

Have you ever felt inadequate to love and worship God? Why or why not?

How do you express your love for God?

PRACTICE THIS

Make an intentional effort today to express your love for God in a special way.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Keep Yourself in the Love of God

PRAY OVER THIS

“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 1:21

 

PONDER THIS

To “keep yourself in the love of God” doesn’t mean God is not loving you. Consider the prodigal son. When he left the father’s house to go to the far country and was down there in the hog pen, did the father still love him? Yes, the father still loved him. But he left the environment of the love of God. He did not enjoy the protection of the father’s house, the provision of the father’s house, and the feast of the father’s house. The father was still loving him, but he did not keep himself in the love of his father. Likewise, we are called to stay in the Father’s love.

In these last days, if you are going to survive the apostasy, the safe place is in the love of God. Keep yourselves in the love of God. We are to bask in the love of God. We are to keep ourselves in the love of God. We are not trying to keep God loving us any more than we are trying to keep the sun shining. But we are to stay in that environment. We are to stay in the love of God.

What are some ways we “keep ourselves in the love of God”?

What are some ways we go out from the love of God?

PRACTICE THIS

Read the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Consider the reality that the father never stopped loving his son, but the son did remove himself from the father’s love.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers