WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE GOD?

We are to love God as part of the creed of the lord Jesus:

Mark 12:29-30: Hear, O Israel; YHVH - Yahovah our God is one Lord:

And you shall love YHVH - Yahovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is none another commandment greater than these.

Abraham Lincoln was asked why he didn't attend or belong to a church, and his answer was if they put the words of Mark 12:20-30 on their entryway and the people who go to that church practice the words of Mark 12:20-30, he would go to that church.

Now how do we love God? We do so as followers of His beloved son Jesus by keeping the commandment and words He gave to Jesus to give to us.

Exodus 20:6: And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 5:10: And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

John 14:15: If you love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:21: He that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.

John 15:10: If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.

This is what faith-obedience is all about, these are the works produced by faith that James was talking about.

Notice what Jesus says: John 17:8: For I have given unto them the words which You gave me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from You, and they have believed that You did send me.

John 14:10: Believe you not that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, He does the works.

John 3:34: For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God: for God gives not the Spirit by measure unto him.

John 12:49: For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father Who sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

So to love God is to do all that He has given us to do through His beloved uniquely begotten son Jesus. All that Jesus commands us to do, like "seek you first the kingdom of God" Mat:6:33, etc., "love one another", etc.

When we love our neighbor as ourselves we show love to the Father because He is love and enables us to love others, because whatever He commands us to do, He enables us to be able to do!

Halil Yah - Praise God!