On one occasion, after Jesus had silenced the Sadducees concerning the resurrection from the dead, a certain lawyer was moved to tempt Him by asking a question about the law.  This particular lawyer said to Jesus, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matthew 22:36)  Jesus answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment” (vers. 37,38).

Loving God with all our hearts is our primary responsibility.  That God loves us has been proven beyond doubt by what He has done for us.  John wrote, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).  Later in the same chapter, John affirmed, “We love him, because he first loved us” (ver. 19).

How can we not love a God Who sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we might live?  How can we not love a God Who watches over us like a loving and protective Father, and who provides us with all that we need (Matthew 6:25-7:11; Philippians 4:19)?  It should be easy and natural for us to love God with our whole heart.

Loving God, though, involves more than just saying that we do, or even thinking that we do.  Many people claim that they love God and sincerely believe that they do, but they simply do not.  How then do we know for sure that we truly love God?  The acid test for loving God is obedience.  Jesus simply said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

No matter how much we talk about loving God, the bottom line is if we do not obey Him, we really don’t love Him.  Disobedience is a sign of a lack of respect, which is a sign of a lack of love.  God is truly disappointed when we disobey Him.  Can we say that we love God if we care nothing about hurting Him?  True love is always demonstrative.  This is why John teaches us not to love in word only, but in deed (1 John 3:18).

Are you not glad that God loved us in more than just words?  What if Jesus just said that He loved us but backed out of God’s plan before laying down His life for us?  Where would that leave us today?  You know the answer to that question.  We would be condemned to eternal death.  Thankfully, God did more than talk.  He acted.  He sent His Son to die in our place.  Jesus did more than talk.  He acted.  He gave up the riches of heaven and took on the form of a servant so that we could be saved (Philippians 2:5-9; 2 Corinthians 8:9).

Too many claim to love God and His Son in word but not in deed.  The one who says that he loves Christ but refuses to keep His commandments speaks empty words.  Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and kept them, he it is that loveth me… (John 14:21).

Let us all examine our lives to see if we really love God.  When God, through inspired men, says that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrew 10:25), and we violate that command regularly and without repentance, do we love God?  Some among us love God on Sunday morning, but not on Sunday night.  Some claim to love God, but at about 7:30 on Wednesday evenings, the truth is revealed.

Do we think we love God if we refuse to forgive those who sin against us?  Forgiving is given to us as a command over and over again in the Word of God.  It is not optional to forgive those who sin against us, it is mandatory.  How can we ignore such a clear commandment of God and then turn around and say that we love Him?

Preaching the gospel to the lost is a commandment (Matthew 28:19).  Controlling our tongues is a commandment (James 3:1-12).  Refraining from a lustful heart is a commandment (Matthew 5:27,28).  The Bible is full of instructions that teach us how to live before God (Titus 2:12).  These instructions are obligatory.   They are commandments given to us by God.  The question is will we keep them?  Maybe the better question is, do we love God?