A Biblical Man is a Lover of God

by Rick Pierce

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” -Deuteronomy 6:5

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” -Matthew 22:37

Think about all the places and ways you hear or see things about love: songs, movies, and TV shows. So often, men are shown on TV and social media as “real men” if they have a lot of relationships with a lot of different women. But, is this what love really is or is meant to be? Are physical relationships the ultimate goal of love?

There is so much involved with what we think of as love, that we need to define it clearly. An excellent place to start is 1 John 4:7-8.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

God is not only our example of love, but we must know and love God to be able to give and experience love at all. This is a radical departure from what we are told in our daily lives. Love is portrayed as a feeling, as an experience, and as physical intimacy, but rarely is it described as it is in the Bible, as a relationship and in particular a relationship with God.

However, knowing that God is the author of, source of, and reason for love is not enough. How can we find this love, and how can we love others?

We must start with a realization that a spiritual relationship with God begins from within:

“Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” -Mark 12: 29-30

Secondly, we are to love God with our passions, hungers, perceptions, and thoughts. We are to love God with how we talk, what we do with our hands, how we utilize our talents, and how we react to challenges — our entire being is to display that we love God.

Third, all our might means much more than just muscle, but using everything we have available for honoring God — including our time, school work, friendships, clothing, computers, music, social media, relationships.… everything.

So, how do you know what love is, and how do we become people who truly love God? The Bible calls us to love in a wholehearted way, lifeencompassing, community-impacting, and in exclusive commitment to our God. Not the kind of love demonstrated in temporary things of our world, but in the eternal relationship with God, through Jesus, for God is Love.

Journaling Page for Loving God

Are you surrounded by people who love God?

Why do you think that the world laughs at men who love God?

Other thoughts and scriptures about loving God: