7 Beautiful Ways We Can Show God That We Love Him
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“Well, He knows I love Him. I don’t have to show it.”
“Okay, but how would I show Him?”
“Would He even know it was me showing my love for Him?”
All these statements have one thing in common: they are all statements regarding the love we would show to a God who loves us without limits.
We can be tricked, especially in this world, to believe that God is either too busy to consider anything we have to offer Him, or that He is already the epitome of love and so there is nothing we could offer Him in return for what He has done for us.
But there are ways we can show our love for our heavenly Father, and they don’t require you to have millions of dollars or to be the “perfect” Christian. These seven things are simple but meaningful ways we can demonstrate our love and appreciation for God that will speak volumes to Him personally: giving Him praise, praying to Him, reading the Bible, loving those around us, tithing, fasting, and being hopeful.
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Why Should We Let God Know That We Love Him?
When the question comes up of why we should let God know of our love for Him, some may not have an answer, while others may have the right answer that is not the best answer. Some might say that we “owe” God so much because of what Jesus did on the cross for us, that our love should be given to Him whether we feel it toward Him or not.
However, the real reason we should let God know we love Him is that He first loved us. As the Bible states, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Not only did God give us His only son, Jesus, to love us and die as a sacrifice for our sins, but He loves us because He created us and loves us despite our flaws.
From the time He breathed life into Adam’s body, to the time He is with each person as they make their journey to heaven, His love is unconditional and never fades. Sure, He can be disappointed in our actions or hurt by what we say or don’t say to Him, but His love is constant and doesn’t depend on whether we are good believers or not.
Because He loved us first, we want Him to know we love Him right back. We want Him to know that we love Him, even when we believe no one else loves us or that we don’t even love ourselves. It is then that we understand what it means to love unconditionally.
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Seven Ways We Can Show God That We Love Him
1. Giving God Praise
No matter what situation we are in, giving God the glory through praise helps us show our love and appreciation for Him. The situation could be one that is happy, or one that is challenging. But when we lift our hands up and thank God in worship and praise for His involvement, our hearts are lifted and our eyes focus on God’s purpose in the situation.
“Therefore, I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles and sing praises to Your name” (2 Sam. 22:50).
2. Praying to God
Prayer is one of the strongest forms of intimacy we can have with God, sharing everything on our hearts in prayer so only God knows. When we pray, our hearts connect with God, and we show our love in sharing our highs, lows, and questions about the paths we are on. What is even better is that prayer provides the bridge for God to speak to us about the situations in our lives, directing our steps and encouraging our hearts.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).
3. Reading the Bible
Nothing reminds us more of God’s love, or the love people have for God, than reading the Bible. We have front-row seats to witnessing displays of God’s love and provision for us, as well as different ways people have shown love to God that we can mirror in our own faith walks.
“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).
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4. Loving Those Around Us
We show God love when we show others love, as God shares countless times in the Bible that loving Him means loving His creation, those around us. Just as He shows grace, patience, and mercy to all mankind, we should extend the same to the people in our lives, and be encouraged when they extend the same to us.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).
5. Tithing
Some may question tithing as an act of love toward God, but it’s a sacrifice to God in that our love can be tied to how much money we have or what it buys us. When we tithe each week, we are letting God know that our appreciation for money doesn’t come close to the love and appreciation we have for Him. By tithing, we let God know that our love isn’t connected to dollar bills, but in the knowledge that God loves and provides for us.
“Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (Prov. 3:9-10).
6. Fasting
Sacrificing food in fasting can for some be the greatest sacrifice we can make, giving up one area of our lives that without, we would die. However, when you fast, it demonstrates to God that you love Him enough to push away the need to eat, and bring your attention squarely on Him. Fasting shows our love for God in that while it is hard to not eat when our stomachs are growling, we crave His guidance and love more.
“But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt. 6:17-18).
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7. Have Hope
When we feel the love of God in us, we can’t help but be hopeful in the situation we are in, either good or bad. We have this resilience, this endurance, this persistence, to remain hopeful and see God’s blessing come through to us. We choose to hope in hopeless circumstances because we know that God always prevails and always provides for His children.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).
A Prayer of Worship to God
When we show our love to God, it makes Him happy, encouraged, and appreciative, so let us combine two ways of loving God by praying in worship to Him:
Heavenly Father,
We are so thankful and appreciative of Your love for us, that despite how we are each day, You love us nonetheless. We humbly come before You to show our love for You in return, our praise and worship of You for all that You provide for us every moment of our lives. We hope that as our day moves forward, we show our love for You in the ways mentioned here, always remembering that You are who we worship and adore. Thank you for Your love, guidance, and grace.
In Jesus’s name. Amen.
Conclusion
Making the choice to love God, who we can’t see, touch, or hear, can be a difficult task to do each day. But there are ways we can show our love to God, however small they might be.
The seven ways mentioned here (tithing, fasting, being hopeful, loving those around us, giving God praise, reading the Bible, and prayer) are recognized ways mentioned in the Bible that people before us showed their love and appreciation for God, and we can do the same.
Because as we take moments in our day to love God for all He is to us, He, in return, has in store love and blessings He can’t wait to shower over us.
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