Bible Verses About Loving God With All Your Heart
Autumn writes a sun-splashed story in shades of ochre and crimson. This season of change reminds me that God is always working, and in his work, he is always loving us. I recently dug into Scripture in search of Bible verses about loving God with all your heart as I aim to embody his love.
Today, I’m sharing the verses I found. I also encourage you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God.
Let’s begin with God’s Word.
Bible Verses About Loving God With All Your Heart
Here are God’s words about how to love him with our whole hearts.
Bible Verses About Loving God With All Your Heart
1. Deuteronomy 6:5, ESV
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
We first read the command to love God with all our hearts, souls, and might in the book of Deuteronomy. Here, God was making a covenant with his people as they settled in the Promised Land.
Their highest calling was to love God.
This reveals an important part of God’s character: God’s greatest desire for his children has always been a loving relationship. When we make this our highest goal, everything else falls into its rightful place.
2. Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul . . .
A few chapters later, we read a description of what it looks like to love God with all our hearts and souls: We serve him wholeheartedly.
Telling God we love him without following through in our actions is nothing more than lip-service. God is seeking surrendered followers who will love him in words and deeds.
3. Luke 10:27
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Let’s jump ahead to the New Testament to see what Jesus said about loving God.
When asked what the greatest command was, Jesus repeated the words of Deuteronomy 6:5, stating that the greatest command is to love God with all our strength. The second greatest command is to love others as we love ourselves.
Let’s look at two different Gospel translations of this verse.
4. Mark 12:30
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Mark’s Gospel is similar, calling people to love God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength.
5. Matthew 22:37
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.”
Matthew’s Gospel shares the same basic framework for loving God.
6. Joshua 22:5
Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
The book of Joshua describes the Israelites’ conquest into the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership. Again, the people are reminded to love God and walk in his ways.
We cannot separate these two commands. Obedience to God is a sure sign of our love for him. If we fail to obey him, we demonstrate a lack of love.
7. 1 John 4:8
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
God is the embodiment of love.
When God’s love is in us, it overflows, impacting all our relationships and interactions. If we don’t love others, the love of God is not flowing through us.
This should prompt us to search our hearts and ask if we are failing to embody God’s love in any areas of our lives.
I regularly step back to ask God where I’m missing the mark when it comes to loving others.
8. Romans 13:8
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Our ultimate calling as we minister to others is to love them well.
This includes forgiving those who offend and hurt us, extending compassion to those who are hurting, and putting the needs of others above our needs.
9. John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
As we walk in God’s love, it’s helpful to remember that God gave us the ultimate demonstration of love. He gave his Son’s life for us.
In response, we are invited to receive God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ work on the cross. Then, we are to go into the world and share God’s love with others.
10. 1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
In his first epistle, Peter wrote that love covers a multitude of sins.
When we love others, we don’t hold onto offenses or keep a record of wrongs. We believe the best about them and aim to come alongside them in love and support.
More Bible Verses About Loving God With All Your Heart
11. 1 John 3:16
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Jesus was the embodiment of God’s love. He embodied God’s love by literally laying down his life for us. He also laid down his life figuratively by serving and caring for the needs of others.
We are called to follow his example.
To learn how to live a life of love, we can read the Gospels and study Jesus’ words, attitudes, and actions. We then live by his example in every way.
12. Romans 5:8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God revealed his love for us by sending his precious Son to die for us.
Our response to this love is to be two-part: We receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, living to love him; we also go into the world and aim to love others.
13. John 14:15
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
These words draw a hard line. If we claim to love God, we will obey him in love.
14. John 13:35
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
Other people should be able tell we are followers of Jesus by the way we love one another.
Sadly, this is not always the case. We should aim for unity with one another as we live by this command.
15. 1 Peter 1:22
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart . . .
God calls us to sincerely love others from pure hearts.
Only God can purify a heart. Do you need him to purify your heart so that you can more freely love someone else today?
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Let’s break this into some concrete ways to love God with all our hearts.
1. Love God with all your heart by staying connected to him in constant conversation.
God is always pursuing us in love. We respond to his pursuit by drawing near to him in prayer and talking to him about everything.
This is what it means to pray without ceasing. We live on two levels. On one level, we are going about our daily lives. On a deeper level, we are always aware of God’s presence with us.
2. Love God by drawing near to him in his Word.
God’s Word renews our minds.
When we interact with God’s Word by reading, studying, memorizing, or meditating on it, we grow closer to God.
The Bible is God’s love letter to us. In the same way that we might read and reread a love letter from another person, we should read and reread God’s Word.
3. Love God with your whole heart by keeping your confessions current.
Regularly ask God to search your heart and show you any unconfessed sin. When he reveals sin in your life, be quick to confess and repent, turning away from sin and turning toward him.
4. Love God with your whole heart by loving others well.
We love God by loving others.
Stop to chat with a lonely neighbor, write a note to your child’s teacher, or leave a gift in the mailbox for the mail carrier. Cook your husband’s favorite meal.
As we serve others, God fills our hearts with his love and joy.
5. Love God by seeking his face and not just his hand.
Here are some ways to draw near to God.
Go to a quiet room, close the door, light a candle, and talk to him as you would talk to a friend.
Listen to worship music and imagine him holding you.
Meet with a close friend and pray together.
Open your Bible to the book of Psalms and read slowly, soaking in the words.
Take a slow walk in nature and talk to God.
Write God a letter or share your heart with him in your journal.
If these Bible verses about loving God with all your heart encouraged you, I invite you to explore our family devotionals and library of free devotionals and eBooks below. May your love for God continue to grow deeper.
Calling 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! 
