In culmination of our study of ways in which the Scriptures tell us that we can show God our love, we come to the last 4 acts. However, remember, that just because 8 things are mentioned here doesn't mean that there aren't other ways in which we show our Father our love nor does that fact mean that whatever we decide will adequately and righteously show our love. Our praise and adoration to Him must first be found in the Bible which He gave to us to instruct us in our worship and lives toward Him. (Click here to read the first 4 points in this 2-part article)

5. Reject the World - 1 John 2:15
     No study of our expression of our love to God would be complete without a mention of this very important point. There are so many things in the world vying for our attention and love, and yet we ought to have the wherewithal to reject those things if they lead us away from loving our God. Notice, this passage cannot be speaking of the Father's ceasing to love someone if they are entangled in the ways of the world, after all, He loved us while we were sinners (Romans 5:8) and the world as a whole long before the saving grace and blood of Jesus Christ was available to us (John 3:16). No, the direction of the love mentioned by the apostle John is upward. 

     It is absolutely impossible for us to love God if we allow ourselves to be taken into a lustful relationship with the world. That's what it is isn't it? We often teach our young people about the difference between love and lust. Well, loving the world is nothing more than a relationship bent on fulfilling lusts, void of the true love which is only found in a relationship with God Almighty. The only way to have that relationship? Just as the only way to have true love in a physical relationship, specifically speaking of a marriage, is to reject all other means by which lusts can be fulfilled outside of that bond. 

     How fitting it is to say that we are married to God!

6. Be Bold - 1 John 4:17
     As is the case with any study of the topic of love, many great and insightful points can be gleaned from the pen of John. This is no exception. 
 
     While the context at hand is specifically speaking of the love that the child of God has from the Father through the salvation offered in Jesus Christ (1 John 4:12-16), I believe that the opposite direction may also be applied. If God has provided a way in which we can "have boldness in the day of judgment" because of His love for us, wouldn't it be the case that our exercising that boldness in the day of judgment would show our love back to Him. 

     How can one be bold in the Day? It's very simple. - Know that he will receive eternal life on that Day. 

     That isn't a statement that is often taken without any sort of weariness on the part of the individual, but it is true. Many people do not want to emphatically say the words, "I know that I am saved" but without that boldness, based upon the actions in one's life and whether or not they are in accordance with the Gospel of Christ (1 John 5:13, 1 John 1:7-9), then we have failed to see what God has given us. We have failed to get everything out of Christianity that God has placed in it. And, we have failed to show our love to God. 

7. Love the Brethren - 1 John 4:21
     This point is obviously well understood by the majority, but it still needs to be discussed. Anything that is done to the brethren is, by extension, done to Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:40). Because of that, any hatred which is expressed to the body of Christ (the church of Christ) or the members thereof is to be understood as being directed straight at the face of God Himself. 

     What better way to show God we love Him than to love those that are in Him (Ephesians 1:7, Galatians 3:27, Acts 2:47). 

8. Have Faith - 1 Pet. 1:6-9
     I fail to be able to look at the Bible and see any greater point than this when speaking of the love we show to God. The Hebrews writer once said that "faith.... [is] the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 1:1)." While I have yet to have the amazing blessing of being able to see my Savior, I know that He exists. While that knowledge is based upon a correct application of the physical evidence proving the existence of the God of the Bible and the Bible's accuracy and trustworthiness, that knowledge is also based upon what the Scriptures tell me. 

     Yet, having not seen Him, sometimes I feel as though my faith is missing something. How much more faith would I have if I had been able to be at the dinner when the two sisters got in an argument over which was more important, or if I had been there when He fed the 5,000? While it may have been stronger if I had lived back then (although I hope that my knowledge that these things and many more happened leads me to have as strong a faith as possible), Peter wanted those brethren that were in the same position of not seeing Him as me to know that the genuineness of our faith can be perfect, by loving Him. 

     Our faith, the trust in God lead by the evidence and bringing us to obey His commands, is the best way that we can show our Father that we truly, whole-heartedly, undeniably, reverently love Him!

     It's the greatest command found in all of the Bible, as per Jesus' words in Mark 12:29-31 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." But, how do we do this? Is this love of which Jesus spoke to be rendered down into nothing more than an emotional feeling like that of any sane person to his freshly baked pizza sitting in front of him? I'm not the first to tell you, the answer is a resounding "NO!" The love of man for his Lord is much, much, much more than this sort of feeling.
     
     The love that is commanded and deserved by God is something which, while very difficult at times, is an action word. It is something which transcends the mere mental appreciation or even adoration that some would ascribe to it and is actually shown forth in a person's life by the actions which he does.

     Here are 5 ways in which the Scriptures tell us that our love for God is shown to Him. 

2. Give...Abundantly - 2 Corinthians 8:8
     It might be somewhat of a shock to you (as it was to myself), but it is scientifically proven that giving more (specifically regarding financial giving) increases one's own outlook on his life and his happiness. (1) However, God's commands to give have less to do with our own feelings, as our feelings do not dictate how or what we should do to obey Him, and more to do with the help of His children and those who are in need. 
     
     That isn't to say that we can gather no personal benefit from our giving of our means to the work of the Lord (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:2), but rather to say that our giving directly effects our faithfulness to Him and, according to Paul's explanation of his "testing the sincerity of...love by the diligence of others (2 Corinthians 8:8). Our giving shows whether or not we are being sincere in our love to God! I mean, what other part of worship is as secret as the giving? The only people that might know what you gave is the person cashing the checks and the elders (depending on the congregation). 

     Therefore, if we are going to love God, we are going give Him what He deserves... all of it! That means giving Him ourselves first (2 Corinthians 8:5) and then following that up with giving out of our wallets to help His cause. He doesn't need the money to save, but His church needs the money to preach that salvation!

3. Respect His Workers - 1 Thessalonians 5:13
     In a section of Scripture often read quickly and studied briefly, Paul makes mention of something which might or might not be done within our lives very often. While I am a preacher of the Gospel and therefore get somewhat uneasy when writing or speaking on such things, Paul emphatically commands that the workers in the Kingdom of Christ (i.e. the "ministers" or preachers) ought to be "esteemed" very highly for their work's sake. Not that preachers are somehow better or more important that the "average member" (I hate saying that, but for lack of a better term...) but the work of the preacher is something which should be respected. 

     Notice, that esteem given to the preacher because of the work which he has taken upon himself (i.e. the education and edification of the body of Christ) is to be done in love, showing this command to be, by extension, a love to God. Since God has set the way by which He instructs mankind to be through the Word which is preached by men today (Romans 10:14-17), the words spoken by those men are to be understood as the very words of the Almighty (provided the man is preaching the Bible and not his opinions or man's doctrines). 
 
     That goes the same for those who Paul describes as "over" the brethren - the elders. While I believe that sometimes, preachers are shown the esteem that they deserve for their position in the church, I'm also convinced that many times elders are not given the same. If you don't believe the need for good, qualified, strong elders, attend a congregation who is not afforded the ability to have such because of a lack of men or some other circumstance and you will quickly see that the only way that a congregation can truly thrive is under the oversight of faithful men of God - elders. 

4. Endure Temptations - James 1:12
     Yet another way that we can readily show our Father that we love Him, aside from respecting His workers, giving back to Him and obeying all of His commands, is to endure the temptations of this world. James connects those who endure to those who love the Almighty in James 1:12. Why, you might ask? Because James 1 is all about trusting in Him for everything that we need. Whether the need is help through some outward trial which leads us to be tempted to sin or whether it is in our every day lives understanding that we much follow His word in order to have the full and abundant life of which the Christ spoke (James 1:21-27, John 10:10). 

     What better way to show God that we love Him then to, by our works and less by our prayers even those are vitally important as well, trust Him through our difficult times? How many Christians have in essence told God that He wasn't what they needed by deserting Him in their low points in life, turning to their own ways to "make it through"? God created us to worship Him (Ecclesiastes 12:13) but at the same time, He created us to need Him and if we give up and into our temptations, we've rejected all the help that He has promised and is poised to give at the moments notice (1 Corinthians 10:11-13). 

     Love, something that is drastically misunderstood in today's world. With the perversion of the marriage bond, the pandemic of lust being called love, and the skewed sense of brotherly love that would say one cannot rebuke or attempt to teach someone without stepping outside the realm of love it's no wonder that we live in a time where the once revered word has now slumped to the point at which it is. But regardless of what man thinks the word means, God has already outlined exactly what it is to be in the lives of His children. 

     The word translated "love" in Galatians 5:22 is the Greek word denoting "affection or benevolence (Strong's)". It is the same word translated by the translators of the King James Version as "charity" in the writing of Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 13). Although charity can be done without any feelings whatsoever, especially just before April 15 of each year, it sums up the word nicely. See, the love that is a product of being a Christian who is filled with the Spirit of God through the divine instruction given by Him (Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 5:18, Colossians 3:16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17) is a sacrificial feeling, and action, based upon the understanding and overall mindset of the individual. It isn't something that is done out of necessity, although the Christian is commanded to have it present in his life (Luke 10:27, Romans 12:9, Ephesians 5:1-2). It isn't done out of pity toward the object of that love, although pity/compassion is absolutely incumbent upon the follower of Christ. 

     No, this kind of love is exuded forth from the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5-8). It is the guiding factor in the death of the Messiah upon the cross for my sins (John 3:16). It is why anyone becomes a Christian (1 John 4:19). Love is the reason for everything found within the 31,102 verses of the inspired Word of God!

     Since God is LOVE (1 John 4:8) and love demands an object, He created us. Since He created us in the image of Himself (Genesis 1:26-27) and our ability to love is a part of that image (cf. 1 John 4:19), He created a helpmeet comparable to man so that he would have an object upon which to express his love (Ephesians 5:25, Colossians 3:19). Since He desires us to love him back for all the love He has shown us (Galatians 5:22, cf. 2 Timothy 3:17), He gave us His commands in order to carry out our love for Him (John 14:15)!

Love, you can't really live without it (John 10:10) and you can't really live without showing God your ability to just what He created you to be able to do.