Matthew 22:36-38 KJV
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
In this lesson, we want to explore the question “What happens when I love God more?”
Below is the chorus of a beautiful song with a powerful message.
“The Longer I Serve Him” written by Bill Gaither
The longer I serve him
The sweeter he grows
The more that I love him
More love he bestows
Each day is like heaven
My heart overflows
The longer I serve him
The sweeter he grows
We want to focus on the chorus line that says “the more that I love Him, more love He bestows."
This beautiful line in Gaither’s great song, has come to mind often as I think of the love that God has for His children.
And, how true are the words “the more that I love Him, MORE LOVE HE BESTOWS.”
But from a sound theological standpoint, it is NOT because God loves us MORE, or loves one of His children more than any other.
Where we believe it is correct is the fact that when we love HIM more, we are then more able to feel and partake in God’s love for us. So, in essence, it feels like He is bestowing more love to us.
In other words, God isn’t loving us more; we are receiving more of the love He has always offered. And this is likely the message of Mr. Gaither.
How Can I Love God More
John 4:23-24 KJV
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
But this raises the question “how can I love God more?” We know that God desires that we worship Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. And we know that He desires that we live a life of worship to Him.
So, here are a few ways we can show more of our love to God.
- The more that I acknowledge Him, the more I show my love to Him
- The more that I praise Him, the more I show my love to Him
- The more that I worship Him with a worshipful attitude, the more I show my love to Him
- The more that I honor Him, the more I show my love to Him
- The more that I glorify Him, the more I show my love to Him
- The more that I thank Him for ALL things, the more I show my love to Him
- The more that I pray to Him, the more I show my love to Him
In closing, we can’t say that God loves you or me more than another believer who doesn’t worship Him as much.
But we can say that the more love we show to God, the more we will realize His great love and the blessings that He has for us.
He may not actually bestow more love on us, but we come to realize the amount of love that was always there for us, His child.
We know this about God. He is unchanging. His love is unchanging. His love is perfect and given fully.
If we will acknowledge Him more, praise Him more, worship Him more, honor Him more, glorify Him more, thank Him more and pray to Him more, we definitely will see and feel the abundant and unending love that our Father in heaven has for us.
In mainstream Christian theology, God’s love does not increase, but our capacity to receive, perceive, and live in that love does. Our spiritual growth and greater love for God changes our realization and experience of His love.
An everyday example is this. Opening the blinds in our home doesn’t make the sun shine any brighter. It just allows more sunlight in.
It is just that simple. Love Him MORE and feel MORE of His love for you.
RVH