How Can We Show That We Love Jehovah ?

"We love, because he first loved us." -1 JOHN 4:19.

IT IS generally accepted that the best way a father can teach his children is by personal example.  The apostle John who wrote that "we love because [God] first loved us."  (1 John 4:19)  Therefore, it is clear that Jehovah has provided a surpassing example of fatherly love that can help us to love him. 

In what way has God "first loved us"?  The apostle Paul said:  "God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8)  By making that great sacrifice-offering his own Son as the ransom for believing humans-Jehovah has demonstrated the true nature of love. It is expressed by giving, by acting in selfless or self sacrificing way.  God's magnanimous act made it possible for us to come to him to benefit from his love an din return show our love for him. -1 John 4:10. 

Love is Jehovah's dominant attribute, so we can understand why Jesus told one inquirer that the first commandment from God is: "You must love Jehovah, your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength." (Mark 12:30)   From Jesus' words, we learn that love for God involves, first of all, our heart. Being halfhearted is displeasing to Jehovah. However, we note that  love for God also involves  our whole soul, mind and strength.  This means that genuine love for God is much more than just an emotional feeling of the heart. In addition to being heartfelt, our love for God  must involve all our spiritual and physical faculties. According to the prophet Micah, that is what Jehovah wants from us.  -Read Micah 6:8. 

How can we show that we truly love our heavenly Father?  We should love him unreservedly.  As Jesus indicated, all our physical, emotional, and spiritual faculties need to be involved. In the preceding article, we considered  four ways in which Jehovah has demonstrated his great love for his children. Let us now consider  how we can demonstrate and deepen our love for Jehovah in ways that are acceptable and agreeable to him. 

Next time:  How Can We Show That We Love Jehovah? -GRATITUDE FOR JEHOVAH'S PROVISIONS 

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