The Greatest Commandment Explained: How to Love God

When questioned about the greatest commandment in the Law, Jesus provided a straightforward yet deeply insightful response:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment." (Mark 12:30)

Notice, Jesus didn’t list a hundred different rules or rituals. Instead, He summarized the entire Law with one command: Love God completely.

For Christians it seems like a no-brainer, but you may be wondering: what does it really mean to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?

Let’s take a closer look.

Love God With All Your Heart – Make Him Your Utmost Devotion

The heart in Scripture often represents our feelings, desires, and affections. To love God with all our heart means making Him our highest priority and the ultimate desire of our lives.

• Biblical Cross-References:

  • Psalm 63:1 -"O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water."

  • Proverbs 4:23 - “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

  
  

  These two verses teach us that loving God with all our heart means both hungering for Him above all else and protecting our heart from anything that would dilute that love.

  
  

• Biblical Example:

  • God described King David as a "a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22).

Despite his failures and shortcomings, David's deepest desire was to always worship the Lord and return to Him. Like David, we can love God with all our heart by cultivating a life of worship. Get to know God intimately - this should be a great desire in your life, shaped by delight in God, not worldly pursuits.

• Life Application:

  • Spend time daily in worship, prayer and Bible study. Seek to KNOW the Lord and to enjoy His presence.

  • Choose God over worldly temptations, whether that’s ambition, wealth, or relationships. By the way, anything that takes priority in your life over God can be considered an idol.

    
    

Love God With All Your Soul – Make Him the Center of Your Affection

The soul represents the inner self—our identity, will, and the very core of who we are. Loving God with all our soul means aligning our identity and purpose around Him.

• Biblical Cross-References:

  • Psalm 42:1–2 - “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”

  • Psalm 84:2 - "My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

    
    

• Biblical Example:

  • Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus showed what it means to love God with all her soul when she sat at Jesus’ feet, choosing His presence above everything else going on around her. While Martha was busy with tasks, Mary’s deepest loyalty and affection were fixed on Christ Himself. She placed her identity not in what she could do, but in being near the One her soul longed for (Luke 10:39–42).

    
    

Like Mary, we can love God with our soul by making Him the center of our lives. Instead of defining ourselves by career, relationships, or achievements, we can root our identity in belonging to Jesus. Prioritize His presence over distractions by practicing stillness, devotion, and surrender.

• Life Application:

  • Examine your loves and loyalties - ask yourself: do you love God above all else? Is it God's presence you long to remain in?

  • Practice surrender - tell God daily, “My life belongs to You" and "my soul longs for You, Lord."

    
    

Love God With All Your Mind – Fill Your Thoughts With Him

The mind contains our thoughts, beliefs, and reasoning. Loving God with all our mind means letting His truth shape our worldview, decisions, logic and ideals.

• Biblical Cross-References:

  • Romans 12:2 - “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

  • Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."

    
    

• Biblical Example:

  • Daniel demonstrated what it means to love God with all his mind when he resolved not to defile himself with the food of Babylon (Daniel 1:8). In a culture that pressured him to conform, Daniel’s mind was already made up to honor God. His devotion wasn’t based on feelings or convenience but on deliberate, thoughtful conviction. By choosing faithfulness in even the smallest matters, Daniel allowed God’s truth to govern his reasoning, his decisions, and ultimately his life. This mental devotion gave him courage before kings and wisdom that set him apart in a foreign land.

Loving God with all our mind, like Daniel, means more than knowing Scripture - it means letting God’s truth direct our thought patterns, shape our decisions, and guide how we interpret the world around us.

• Life Application:

  • Saturate your mind with Scripture through daily devotion, study and memorization.

  • Replace negative or sinful thought patterns with God’s promises.

  • Seek wisdom in decisions through prayer rather than worldly logic.

    
    

Love God With All Your Strength – Pursue Him With Passion

Our strength includes our physical energy, resources, and efforts. Loving God with all our strength means serving Him with everything we have—our talents, time, bodies, and energy.

• Biblical Cross-References:

  • Colossians 3:23 — “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

  • Isaiah 40:31 — “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

• Biblical Example:

  • The Apostle Paul modeled loving God with all his strength by pouring out his life for the Gospel. He tirelessly traveled, preached, suffered, and labored to make Christ known .His energy and effort were fully dedicated to serving the Lord. In Philippians 3:14 Paul wrote: “ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Like Paul, we can love God with all our strength by serving Him, remembering that we are ultimately doing everything FOR Him. offering our time, energy, and talents in service to Him. Another profound statement written by Paul is found in 2 Corinthians 12:10: "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Even in weariness, we can rely on His Spirit to renew our strength.

• Life Application:

  • Use your gifts and talents in service to God’s Kingdom.

  • Dedicate your energy - whether in work, ministry, or family life - as an act of worship.

  • Care for your body as God’s temple so you can serve Him faithfully (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

    
    
    
    

Living Out the Greatest Commandment

Jesus summarized the entire Law in one command: love God fully. When we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, our lives align with His purposes. And when we do, it will keep us faithful to the second commandment that Jesus gave us: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).

True love for God will overflow into love for others.

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To love God in this manner is not just a command—it’s the greatest invitation: to love the One who first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Closing Thoughts & Call to Action

The Greatest Commandment is more than just a verse to memorize - it’s the way to live the Christian life. To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is to give Him your desires, your identity, your thoughts, and your energy.

Love God with every part of who you are - dedicate your whole life to Him.

Call to Action: This week, choose one area—your heart, soul, mind, or strength—and intentionally practice loving God more deeply in that particular area. Then ask Him to expand your devotion until every part of your life reflects His love. Then next week, choose the next area...

• If it’s your heart, make time to worship Him in song.

• If it’s your soul, surrender an area of life you’ve been holding back.

• If it’s your mind, meditate on a Bible verse each day.

• If it’s your strength, serve someone in Jesus’ name with your energy and gifts.

Ask God’s Spirit to help you grow in all four areas until your entire life reflects the Greatest Commandment. If you're ready to dive deeper into loving God, sign up for my 5-Day Greatest Commandment Email Challenge below. I know it will bless you greatly.

Are You Ready to Go Deeper? Join the 5-Day Greatest Commandment Challenge!

It’s one thing to read about the Greatest Commandment—it’s another to live it out each day. That’s why I’ve created a free 5-Day Greatest Commandment Challenge to help you put these truths into practice.

Each day over 5 days, you’ll receive a short devotional in your inbox focused on one part of the commandment:

• ❤️ Loving God with all your heart

• 🙏 Loving God with all your soul

• 💭 Loving God with all your mind

• 💪 Loving God with all your strength

• ✨ Bringing it all together in a life fully devoted to Him

  
  

Sign up today, and for the next 5 days you’ll be guided step by step into a deeper love for the Lord!

Prayer of Thanks & Desire for God

Heavenly Father, thank You for first loving us and showing us the way through Jesus Christ. Teach me to love You with my whole heart, my entire soul, my renewed mind, and all my strength. Help me to desire You above everything else, to anchor my identity in You, to fill my thoughts with Your truth, and to serve You with passion and joy. May my life be a reflection of Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Blessings,

Amy

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