Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4.8.
Loving God wholeheartedly lies at the heart of spiritual health, and the more we love Him, the healthier we are. Echoing the spiritual giants throughout history, C.S. Lewis says,
“Every Christian would agree that a man’s spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God.”
A.W. Tozer said,
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
From the quotes of these great minds, we can see that the area where you struggle with God is the area yet to be captured by your love for God.
If your prayer life, study life, or giving life is a struggle, it is simply because your love for God is lacking in those areas. For anyone we love wholeheartedly, we do not struggle to give them any aspect of our lives.
Discerning the biblical view of God is important because some religions have portrayed God in certain ways that do not truly reflect who God actually is. If we get to know God personally and experientially, a wholehearted love for God becomes the highest priority in our lives.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you – unless of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 2 Corinthians 13:5,6.
Each year, many of us go through a physical check-up, a performance review at our workplace, and perhaps a financial health check. We also take our vehicles for MOT each year to guarantee that they are road-worthy for at least another 12 months. But we hardly take time to review our spiritual lives. We do not take the state of our hearts for MOT checks. For our spiritual health, we ought to frequently check to see if we are living out a transformed life oriented towards God, as God has meant for us to live.
Our love for God and how our hearts beat for Him speak volumes about our spiritual health. Some people are physically fit and healthy but spiritually sick. It is more than showing up at church every Sunday. However, spiritual ill health may also affect our willingness and keenness to attend service meetings before God. A life that is full of made-up excuses for not attending services is a pointer to spiritual challenges. It is hard to stay away from someone that we love genuinely. Our hearts will always long to be with them.
More than attending services, a longing to connect with God in prayers, word study, and any suitable time is an indication of our love for God.
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Proverbs 8.17.
To love God, we must first know Him. To know Him, we must seek Him passionately. We need to first know Him personally, for it is impossible to love someone you do not know. Coming to know God involves gaining true and accurate knowledge about Him.
To know God, one must spend time in his presence, gaining knowledge of His plan for their lives. Spending time in the presence of the Father is vital to every Christian’s walk if you expect to fall in love with Him, know who He is, and discover what He has planned for your life.
The love of God must be lit and fanned by the knowledge of God, for to know Him is to love Him. The greater our understanding of the beauty of God’s infinite excellence and love, the more we will adore Him for who He is and for the greatness of the gifts He has lavished on us. When we as a people spend time together, we get to know each other well, even to the point of predicting what another will say or do in any given situation. That is the relationship that needs to be built with Christ and will only happen if we come to know and love Him as Father and friend.
May you grow in the knowledge of God, and may you grow in your love for God