“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Matthew 22:37-38
Jesus says loving God is the most important thing that we can do as Christians and I haven’t really spent a lot of time thinking about how I can live up to this commandment. To figure it out I went through the gospels, psalms, and proverbs and also spent time in prayer and meditation.
Asking God in prayer…
How can I improve my relationship with you?
How can I be closer to you?
How can I lean on you more than anyone else in my life?
Before continuing through this post I ask that you take a moment and do the same.
Through this effort I was able to put together quite the list, it is definitely not all the options, and I think the list would be different for everyone. I don’t want this list to feel like rules that I must follow, but instead I want to use this list to open my eyes to the infinite ways I can love God. If I keep Him front of mind in my thoughts and actions I will be successful at building a closer relationship to Him without keeping a list printed in my pocket.
Spend some time looking over my list and think about if you’ve used any of these methods to honor God.
- Eat good foods (do not give in to gluttony)
- Stay active, move, and work hard Do not be a sluggard
- Spend time outdoors in the sunshine
- Drink clean water
- Rest and sleep
- Do not wear yourself out to get rich
- Do not join those who drink too much wine and beer
- Put all your outdoor work in order
- Praise the lord with your tongue
- Sing to the Lord
- Make music to God
- Praise His name with dancing
- Honor the Lord with your blessings and give generously (wealth, gifts, time)
- Laugh and cry
- Keep your mouth free of perversity and gossip
- Don’t just listen to the Word, do what it says
- Listen to the Spirit’s conviction over your daily actions, the small voice inside your head
- Do what is right and fair and commit your way to the Lord
- Do not give into sinful men
- Listen to the Lord
- Uphold covenants made before God
- Fear the Lord
- Do not envy the wealthy, violent, wicked or sinners
- Do not stir up conflict and do not gloat when your enemy fails
- Do not fret because of evildoers
- Always give an honest answer
- Talk to God in prayer
- Hope in the Lord and keep his way
- Think about God
- Read the Scriptures and meditate over them
- Think about God’s commands for you and always keep them on your mind
- Learn new things (wisdom) and teach others
- Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry
- Do not judge others
- Be patient and have self control
- Be still before the Lord
- Love your neighbor
Well, there’s my list! As you can see there is a lot of ways to love and honor God. But this list is just a small sampling of all the ways this is possible. Each of us were created beautifully and uniquely and God loves us exactly as we are. We can all love Him in our own way.
How do you build on your relationship with God? Please share in the comments below!