How Do We Demonstrate Our Love for God? 15 Ways
My little boy comes to me with his shoelaces twisted in knots. I’m soaking in my morning reading and enjoying a hot cup of coffee. I feel like I might be the world’s worst mom, but I don’t really want to set my coffee aside to untangle dirty shoelaces. A fleeting question crosses my mind: How do we demonstrate our love for God?
I know the answer. We show God we love him by loving others, especially when we don’t feel like being loving.
If I’m being real, I don’t want this interruption to the one part of the day I set aside to center myself.
Maybe you’re chasing the wrong center, a quiet thought speaks to my soul.
As I begin the tedious process of untangling the knots, the little boy at my side looks sadly to the floor. His eyes are downcast. He knows he was an interruption, and he doesn’t like how it makes him feel.
When your son shows up at your side needing you, and you sigh or roll your eyes, he knows. He knows you don’t want him there. The sting of your annoyance is really the sting of your rejection, and who in the world wants to be rejected?
How Do We Demonstrate Our Love for God?
We’ll come back to the morning with my son later in this post. I’ll also offer a library of free devotional books at the end of the post, so be sure to keep reading.
First, let’s see what the Bible says about demonstrating our love for God.
How Do We Demonstrate Our Love for God According to the Bible?
The primary way we love God is by loving other people. Let’s look at three verses about loving others.
1. 1 Peter 4:8, ESV
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
2. 1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
3. John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Now, let’s look at some practical ways to demonstrate our love for God by loving others.
4. Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.
When we cover the offenses of others rather than bringing them into the light, we demonstrate our love for God.
5. Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
When we are kind to one another and forgive one another, we show God we love him.
6. 1 John 4:16
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
We also demonstrate our love for God by abiding in him.
Abiding in God is staying close to him.
We stay close to God by talking to him throughout our days and spending set-apart time enjoying his presence.
7. Romans 12:10
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Imagine how different the world would be if all people aimed to outdo one another in showing honor.
8. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
This is a list of practical ways to demonstrate our love for God by loving others.
9. Romans 5:8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
We demonstrate our love for God by receiving Jesus as the Savior and Leader of our lives and following him.
10. Ephesians 4:2
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.
At times, loving others means we need to bear with them when we feel impatient. In doing so, we demonstrate our love for God.
11. Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
We show God we love him by putting the needs of others above our needs.
12. Matthew 23:37
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
This is the great command. We show God we love him by spending time with him and doing our best to live for him.
We seek him for direction in life and aim to offer our lives as worship.
13. Galatians 5:14
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Again, we show our love for God by loving others.
14. Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
God is pleased when we take a stand for justice, aim to carry mercy into the broken world, and remain humble.
He wants us to be dependent upon him for strength and provision.
15. John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Lastly, we show our love for God by obeying him. We learn to obey him by reading his Word, and we make time in the written Word a priority in our lives. We then do more than just read it; we live it.
How Do We Demonstrate Our Love for God? A Practical Application
Let’s now return to the morning with my son and his shoes, and we’ll talk about showing God our love for him by loving others.
As I untangle the shoelaces, I look at my boy and remember the first time I saw him. He was wailing loudly beneath the white light of the operating room like he needed someone to reassure him everything would be alright. That this wide world is cold and hard, but he’ll never be alone. That he is loved. Cherished. Enjoyed.
As I lay strapped to the operating table that humid August morning, I couldn’t have known that in a few short years, I’d be grumbling about tending to his most basic needs.
And here we are.
I catch myself grumbling, and I remember the promises I made to that helpless baby boy.
I help him slip his little feet into the shoes, kneel before him to tie them in double knots, and look long into sad blue eyes.
He is beautiful.
I pull him close to me. I hug him hard. His arms hang limp as he refuses to return the gesture. He sniffles a bit and nuzzles into my neck, and when I pull back to look into his eyes again, they dance.
Years ago, a wise woman told me to be careful with my eyes. She said the people in our lives know how we feel about them by our eyes. They know if we’re annoyed by them or if we delight in them by the look in our eyes.
The people in our lives know how we feel about them by our eyes. #Jesus #GodsLove #Love Share on XI want my son to know I delight in him. I want him to know he is a gift and not an interruption.
How Do We Demonstrate Our Love for God?
The initial question returns to my mind: How do we demonstrate our love for God?
We delight in our loved ones. We carry his love to frustrating and dark places when we don’t feel like it.
Twenty minutes later, I am alone by the window, and the house stills. I breathe.
I ask God to help me love my kids the way they need to be loved.
A thought comes to mind: They know you love them. They need to know you enjoy them.
I love my kids, but I don’t always enjoy them.
I’m irritated when they need me for tasks I think they should be able to complete on their own. I respond with harsh words instead of open arms more often than I wish.
Look With Eyes of Love
When they walk into the room, there are times my eyes don’t light up.
We all have bad days. Enjoying our kids isn’t about being perfect or never feeling frustrated. It’s creating an atmosphere in which our little ones know we delight in them. It’s about smiling with our eyes as often as we can, setting aside our agendas to unknot little shoelaces, and tying those tiny laces with gentle hands and a warm smile for the thousandth day in a row.
More and more, I’m learning that the quickest way to show my kids I love them is to show them how much I enjoy them.
I’m learning to set everything else aside and listen to their long stories about butterflies and cookies.
I’m grumbling less and smiling more.
I haven’t arrived.
My kids still challenge me every day of my life.
Nonetheless, every difficult moment is another opportunity to exchange my self-centered annoyance for Christ-centered delight.
An Invitation to Reflect
Do the people in your life know you appreciate them? Do your closest loved ones know you delight in them?
Spend the next few minutes resting in the awareness that God is in the room with you. Ask him to help you step back and see the bigger picture of your life. Ask him to show you the faces of the people he has called you to love—the people to whom he wants you to minister closely.
Do these people know you delight in them? Do you show your delight, or do you show annoyance when God asks you to serve them? Ask God to show you how you can put the needs of these people ahead of your own needs as you love them well. Your goal today is simple: “Look with eyes of love” when your loved ones walk into the room. They will know how you feel about them by your eyes.
If this discussion was helpful, I encourage you to explore our family devotionals and library of free devotionals and eBooks below. Be blessed as you aim to love well!
How do we demonstrate our love for God? Read here for 15 suggestions! #love #faith Share on XCalling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God
God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment. Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us. I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here! 
