A Genuine Love for God

How can you tell if you really love God? Here are some indicators of whether your love for God is real.

You will long for personal communion with Him. When you really love someone, you like to spend time with him or her. And if you really love God, then you will want to be in fellowship with Him.

You will love the things that He loves. We know what God loves by what He has declared in His Word. The psalmist said, "I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure" (Psalm 119:162).

You will hate the things that He hates. Psalm 97:10 says, "Let those who love the Lord hate evil. . . ." Romans 12:9 tells us to "abhor what is evil" and "cling to what is good." See evil as God sees it.

You will love other Christians. In 1 John 3:14 we read, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death." Don’t say that you love God while you harbor hatred toward fellow believers.

You will long for the return of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote, "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8). A Christian who loves God looks forward to Christ’s return.

You will keep His commandments. Jesus said, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me . . ." (John 14:21). If you love God, then you will do what He says.

If you love God, the proof will be in your actions.