How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength
Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30
What does it mean to love God with, “all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength?”
I can be quick to say “I love God!”
But explaining what that means is hard sometimes, especially when I realize how far I fall short of loving Him with all I’ve got, all the time … with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
So, I’m asking … what does it mean to love God heart, soul, mind and strength when I can’t see Him or touch Him? How do I love God completely when I question His voice and doubt my circumstances?
How does an imperfect person love a perfect God well?
Because Jesus said, loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength is the most important commandment — I want to take a closer look.
Maybe you do too.
So, I did some deep digging into the Word to learn more about this all-consuming life-changing love God calls the greatest commandment.
How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength
Loving God with All Your Heart
To love God with all my heart means to make Him my greatest treasure and gives me the desire to value my relationship with Him, with Jesus, over anything and everything else in my life.
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21
Loving God with All Your Soul
How would you define your soul?
The dictionary defines it as:
- The immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life.
- A person’s total self.
- The moral and emotional nature of human beings.
If you’re like me … you find that all a bit confusing.
I prefer the following definition and description of a soul, from Soul Keeping by John Ortberg.
“Your soul is what integrates your will (your intentions), your mind (your thoughts and feelings, your values and conscience), and your body (your face, body language, and actions) into a single life. A soul is healthy — well-ordered — when there is harmony between these three entities and God’s intent for all creation. When you are connected with God and other people in life, you have a healthy soul.”
The Bible says:
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Psalm 103:1 (NIV)
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. Psalm 62:5
To love God with all my soul means loving God with all I am … my will (attitudes and intentions), my emotions, my thoughts and feelings, and my body.
Loving God with All Your Mind
To love God with all my mind, means I love Him with my reason and intellect.
Having faith does not mean giving up knowledge and understanding. Mind-loving includes Bible study, prayer, thoughts, and conversations that help my faith grow in ways that make me less easily distracted by a world that is constantly trying to tempt, defeat, and discourage me.
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Colossians 4:2
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You! Isaiah 26:3
Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him . . . let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Ephesians 4:21 & 23
Loving God with All Your Strength
Strength is putting my love into action.
It is loving God through what I do and say … honoring Him with my abilities, my resources, my service, and the way I love others for His glory.
And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. Philemon 1:6
That’s what heart, soul, mind, and strength love looks like. Maybe like me, you’re squirming at the thought of how far you fall short … especially when it comes to the “all” part of God’s command.
And beyond squirming, I’m thankful for God’s grace and mercy. What an amazing blessing to know He forgives each repentant soul.
But, I don’t want to leave it there. I want to do better…
So, I’ve made a list of things I want to do to help me stay mindful of the “all” part of loving God heart, soul, mind, and strength.
10 Ways to Love God
Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength
1. Read and study His Word.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16–17
2. Write your prayers and His answers.
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12
3. Memorize His promises.
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
4. Be still in His presence.
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. Psalm 62:5
5. Spend time with His people.
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20
6. Seek to know His will in every part of life.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5–6
7. Trust His will comes from His love.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3
All He does is just and good, and all His commandments are trustworthy. Psalm 111:7
8. Obey His will to glorify Him.
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16
9. Praise and thank God for who He is and all He does.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100:4–5
10. Keep a record of God’s love and faithfulness
and tell others about Him.
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all Your works
and meditate on all Your mighty deeds.”
Psalm 77:11–12
Promises to Remember
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
I am confident that when you and I make loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, our heart’s desire Jesus will give us His strength through the power of His Spirit to move closer to His all-encompassing love.
He showers our lives with all we need — forgiveness, comfort, joy, peace, patience, kindness, hope, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, family, and love.
His love.
On our own, you and I can’t begin to love God the way He wants us to but praise God, He willingly and graciously does the work within us when we make loving Him completely our heart’s desire.
“Many Christians expend so much energy and worry trying not to sin. The goal is not to try to sin less. In all your efforts to keep from sinning, what are you focusing on? Sin. God wants you to focus on Him. To be with Him. “Abide in me.” Just relax and learn to enjoy his presence. Every day is a collection of moments, 86,400 seconds in a day. How many of them can you live with God? Start where you are and grow from there. God wants to be with you every moment.” ~ John Ortberg, Soul Keeping
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I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Thank you for all you do in this ministry these scripture prayer and encourageing thoughts have been a blessing to me and making a different in my life. I Thank God for his word….
Thank you, Jearlene! Your encouragement is a huge blessing today! I so appreciate your kindness in taking the time to visit and let me know that you were encouraged! God bless you!
Such an enlightening post today, Deb, and with Lent around the corner, what great concepts to dwell upon and pray over as we grow closer in our walk with God.
Blessings!
Martha, that is my constant prayer to love Him more deeply and more completely. Faithfully turning to the Lord heart, soul, mind, and strength. Blessings and hugs!
Great words about loving God with all of our hearts, Deb!
Oh, I want to know Him and love Him more!
Amen!
I am finding that as I open my heart to Him and invite Him into a closer relationship, which I already know He desires to have with me, I realize more fully how much He loves me, and that fills my heart with greater love for Him! I know my loves falls short, but I will echo what others have also said, I want to love Him more.
Me too, Kathy! My heart’s desire is to know and love Him more. And what a gracious God who loves us completely even when we fall short and get distracted. Always praying for more of Him and less of me. God’s blessings my friend!
This is a great reminder of the things that bring us closer to God. The list you’ve providdd is a very organized, helpful way of keeping us focused. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Laura! I’m so glad it blessed you! And I really appreciate that you stopped to take the time to visit and let me know! God bless you!
Wow, great post! I resonate with what you said here, but I’ve never seen it put to words. And I love the list of 10 at the end. Happy Valentines Day!
Thank you so much, Kelly! Your encouragement totally made my day! God bless you!
Such a beautiful post, Deb! Thank you for sharing His truth and grace. I, too, fall short daily – but am so very grateful for His loving kindness and faithfulness!
please explain in words what heart ,soul mind and strength those words meaning .
What does it mean to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?
Thank you. In reading the 10 ways to love God have opening up in me a new way of serving and appreciating God more. Again I want thank you. God bless. Elnora.
Hello Deb,
Thank you so much for this article.i know that I fall short daily.i live reading everything you put on your page.thank you for all the hardwork that goes allong with it as well
Thank you for your efforts to spread the gospel and helpful styles to grow in grace and knowledge in the Lord Jesus Christ
Thank you, Jackie! I am blessed by your kind encouragement! God bless you!
Gm. Thanks for these words of inspiration. I felt so close to God as I was reading on Loving Him and He loving me. The Word of Lord says, Draw nearer to Him and He will draw nearer to me.
Thanks and God bless you.
Thank you for visiting, Rollet, and for taking the time to leave this kind encouragement. May God bless you as you continue to love and trust Him.
Is it not God who is LOVE!” through His Son JESUS!’ who is the word made into flesh as His Mother who said be it unto me! even as you have spoken Lord!” and, as the disciple John who said I am the beloved disciple whom the Lord loves!” therefore would it not be that as I know how much God who is LOVE!” loves me that would govern my life!” as in the life I now live! I live by the life of Him [Christ In Me] who LOVED me and gave Himself for me! to be “STRONG in Him and, the “POWER OF HIS MIGHT. The apostle Paul said that I might know Him and the “POWER OF HIS RESSURECTION.” John the Baptist said “less of me and, MORE OF HIM. Not me! but, “CHRIST IN ME. For I in myself am not capable of obtaining such “GREAT LOVE but, CHRIST THROUGH ME! is more than capable to govern through me to capture the hearts of many souls into His Kingdom just before His “GREAT RETURN TO RAPTURE HIS FAMILY. “LOVE IN JESUS THE CHRIST FOREVER. Kenneth E. Crider. PS Pray for me therefore that I will! His WILL!” to give all that I am to JESUS who gave all that He is for me so that He alone WILL BE the Only one that WILL GOVERN THROUGH MY LIFE. My prayer is also for the body of Christ that we will come together in “UNITY in and, through Christ in overcoming the world! the flesh and, the devil in establishing LOVES!” KINGDOM ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. In Jesu name. Amen. SOITIS. SOBEIT. Thank you for this teaching and inspiration of the word of God who is LOVE. I pray Gods richest BLESSING on you and through you always.
Absolutely, Kenneth! He is LOVE and He is the One who gives us everything we need to love Him. Jesus told His followers that the most important Commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength … so, that is my heart’s desire. With His Spirit’s help, I want to love Him with all that I am and praise God, His Word tells us how that is supposed to look. I certainly won’t do it perfectly, not even close, but when it is the desire of my heart … I will at least make it my goal. Thanks so much for visiting and for taking the time to join the conversation! God bless you!
Thank you for teaching me and helping me understand what it means to love and live for GOD everyday. And please pray for me as I continue to grow stronger in my journey with Christ Jesus.
And to do GOD’s Will instead of my own and immerse myself in HIS Word and follow what Jesus tells me to do. See I am new in my faith and I want to do everything I can to please him and praise HIS Holy Name and be mindful in everything I do. And also please pray for my family salvation and that they will do the same also
Welcome to the family of faith, Aleyah! God bless you! I’m so glad you were blessed by this post. And yes, I will pray for your family to come to know and love Jesus as their Lord and Savior!
I loved the article I am a 14 year old girl. I have been raised in a Christian home but I never took it seriously until a couple weeks ago. I have been seriously pleading and hoping that Jesus would save my soul and have mercy on me. However, I have not felt the Holy Spirit in me. I have noticed it is becoming easier to honor God’s commandments but I still feel like I am missing something. I believe that Jesus is the Messiah who came and gave his life so that I may have mine. I praise God, Read my Bible, (which I do my best to understand as a 14 year old) Pray, and I am doing my best to learn how to love him. I do not want to spend any time without Him. What should ido? Is there something wrong in my heart?
Hi Janelle! Welcome! I’m delighted that you visited and reached out. I like the quote that says, “Make time for quiet moments for God whispers and the world is loud.” You are doing that! You are spending time with Him through His Word and prayer. I would tell you to keep doing what you are doing.
I often write my prayers and intentionally tell God that I want to surrender my will to Him. I ask Him to forgive me and fill me with His Spirit. And I believe that even the most faithful followers have days when they don’t feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Moments of peace and hope, strength of faith, conviction that His promises are true, and the love of Jesus are all evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing wrong with your heart or your faith. In fact, the very truth that you want a close relationship with the Lord affirms the work of God’s Spirit. Keep growing in the Lord. I hope you keep in touch. I’m praying for you.
Thank you so much Deb! Have visited other sites with this very question and come away more confused. Was about to shut down the computer, and came upon you & am very very thankful I did. Just what I needed. Funny how He leads us right to where we need to be. Such a wonderful article. Very grateful. I especially liked the reminder, we all too often forget. Ask & He will provide. Knowing we need His help & asking for it should be second nature, but isn’t always. Thanks for the concise, organized, insightful & helpful ways to love our God. Bless you & keep writing. He has truly given you a gift that helps us all.
Oh, Toni! Thank you so much! I’m so glad you were blessed. Your kind encouragement truly blessed me. I love doing this and hearing from readers is one of the best reasons why I do. God bless you!
Thank you so much,
You have broken it down so much for me.
God bless you
I’m so glad it blessed you, Muriel! Thanks for visiting and for stopping to say “hello.” God be with you!
solution to loving God with all your heart
*Jim Caviezel, (The Passion), heard GOD say THEY DON’T LOVE ME, VERY FEW. How many who preach love GOD do?
I did what Rev. K. E. Hagin, deceased, said it was his breakthrough to GOD. After 5-6 weeks of reading the verses 2X/day on my knees I cried for two hours and felt like a 4 y/o child at 74 and I knew it was GOD.
The verses are Eph. 1:16-20, Eph. 2:4-8, Eph. 3:14-19.
GOD’S love is unlike anything on earth.
We have this treasure in jars of clay 2 Cor. 4:7. YOU WILL LOVE HIM WHEN YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU.
Richard met God (YouTube) cries talking about God’s unconditional love.
The KOG is in our midst Luke 17:21 NIV.
The most ignored verse in the Bible is HE THAT RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD DWELLS IN YOU Rom 8:11.
Where would Jesus be?
He lives in spirit the way GOD lives in spirit 1 Peter 4:6, He is Lord of the living (us) and the dead Rom. 14:9.
* Ken Johnson (YouTube) heard GOD say I LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER, EVER KNOW.
* Howard Storm (YouTube), a former atheist cries talking about Jesus saving him.
* 12 Days with God (book), true story, at the end the man told the doctor it isn’t a belief it’s a relationship. God appears as an elderly white woman to the angry black man.
* Beyond Mile Marker 80 (book), a true story of a man on the operating table from a car wreck where his wife just died. He sees his wife with Jesus. The doctor and nurse see the same thing and travel telling of this miracle.
* In Heaven is for Real, the 4 y/o boy said that’s Him when shown a picture of The Prince of Peace painted by Akiane who saw Jesus.
* All veterans with PTSD see Jesus at www. operationrestoredwarrior.org.
* David Sorenson is used by GOD for miraculous healings and says religious mindsets have crept into the church for centuries. David says, “Many are looking for the return of Jesus Christ, but He is looking for people where He can dwell right here and now, with His glorious presence”. I have many examples of His presence.
2 Cor. 13:5 ESV do you not realize Christ Jesus is in you.
The young lady who helped my wife was healed the night before a major operation and said Jesus did it.
A man said fear left when I said Jesus remove anything here not from GOD’S love. I told him next time he needs to ask as I won’t be there. Jesus said each day has its own troubles Mat. 6:34.
God said seek ME and you will find ME Jer. 29:13. I’ve cried over 300 times and it was so hard I said wait a minute.
Find HIM and tell others about HIS love.
HE said TELL ABOUT MY LOVE. It was a male voice.
Blessings,
Ron Ziegler
Thank you for joining the conversation, Ron. I appreciate your input. God bless you!
I really enjoyed this blog. It is insightful and very practical. Thank you.
Thank you for visiting, Gresha. I’m glad it blessed you! We’d love for you to subscribe and join us regularly. God be with you and bless you.
I so needed to hear this it today! Thank you for your website and wise words from the Lord. You are a blessing to many!