Do We Really Love God? A Heart Check for Every Believer

We talk so often about how deeply God loves us. His love is constant, overwhelming, and evident in every corner of our lives. But there is a question Scripture often invites us to sit with - a question that requires honesty, humility, and reflection:

Do we truly love God?

Not just in the emotional moments during worship. Not just when the choir is singing beautifully or when life is going well. But in the quiet places of our daily decisions and priorities- does our life reveal a heart that genuinely loves Him?

John tells us, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Yes, His love awakens ours. But salvation was never meant to be the end; it is the beginning of a lifelong relationship. And like every relationship, our love for God is meant to grow, deepen, and mature. So the real question becomes: What does loving God actually look like?

What Does It Mean to Love God With All We Are?

When Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind,” He was not describing a casual affection. He was describing a love that reorients our entire being toward God. Deuteronomy expands it even further, calling us to love Him with all our strength.

That means our love for God begins in the heart but must flow into our thoughts, our decisions, our habits, our desires, and even our physical actions. It is a love that is not confined to the church pew or early morning devotion; it becomes the anchor of how we live.

This kind of love cannot stay hidden. It changes how we speak, how we forgive, how we prioritize, how we respond when tempted, and how we treat others. As God becomes first in our hearts, He becomes central in our lives.

And this is why Jesus links love and obedience so closely. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). It isn’t that obedience earns God’s love; it is that obedience reveals ours. Love naturally leads to wanting to please the One we belong to. And as John reminds us, “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). They are the expressions of a heart aligned with God.

God’s Love Language: Caring for What He Cares For

After Jesus rose from the dead, He had a profound conversation with Peter. Three times He asked him, “Do you love Me?” And each time, Jesus connected Peter’s love for Him with caring for His people: “Feed My sheep.”

This moment teaches us something important:

Loving God means loving what is on God’s heart.

God cares deeply about people—their salvation, their healing, their restoration, their growth. When we love God, we naturally begin to care about the souls around us. Our actions become more compassionate. Our conversations become more intentional. We find ourselves praying for people, encouraging them, forgiving them, and pointing them toward Christ.

Sometimes loving God looks as simple as stopping to share a kind word with a stranger. Sometimes it looks like praying for a friend, supporting a struggling family member, or walking in love toward someone who has wronged us. The Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 reminds us that God draws near to those who seek Him sincerely- so much so that He orchestrated a divine encounter just to help him understand the Scriptures. A heart that seeks God moves God.

Whether through the boldness of Paul or the quiet devotion of the early believers, Scripture shows us again and again: love for God produces action. It produces faith. It produces obedience. It produces compassion. It produces a life that mirrors His heart.

Love Expressed in Devotion: Giving God Our Time and Our Hearts

One of the clearest pictures of wholehearted love for God is found in the woman who anointed Jesus with costly oil. While others questioned her actions, she knelt before Him, broke open her alabaster jar, and poured out what was precious to her. She washed His feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair - an act so personal and sacrificial that Jesus called it a beautiful offering.

Her worship shows us that true love gives. True love draws near. It doesn’t hold back or calculate the cost. When we say we love God, there must be moments where we willingly pour out our time, our attention, and our devotion before Him.

Spending time with God is one of the most sincere expressions of love. Relationships grow through presence, and our walk with God deepens when we intentionally seek Him - in quiet prayer, in His Word, and in unhurried worship. Scripture promises, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

The woman with the alabaster jar didn’t offer God what was convenient; she offered Him what was costly. May our love be just as genuine - holding nothing back and choosing Him with our whole hearts.

When Loving God Becomes Inconvenient

A true test of love is not found in convenience, but in commitment. It’s easy to serve God when everything feels smooth. But real love shows itself in the moments when obedience costs us something - our comfort, our pride, our preferences, or our time.

Think of the disciples, who kept preaching even when threatened. Think of Daniel, who prayed even when it meant the lions’ den. Think of Paul, who carried the gospel through beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonment. These were not acts of mere duty; they were acts of love.

And today, our tests may look different, but they are just as real:

Choosing forgiveness when the hurt is fresh.

Choosing purity when temptation knocks.

Choosing prayer over scrolling.

Choosing God’s voice over our feelings.

Choosing truth when compromise seems easier.

Choosing obedience when no one is watching.

In those moments, our love is refined. And in those moments, God sees a heart that truly belongs to Him.

The Overflow of a Life That Loves God

The beautiful thing is this: loving God is always rewarded - not because we earn blessings, but because God moves powerfully in the lives of those whose hearts are aligned with Him.

Paul declares, “All things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). That promise is specifically tied to love. When God sees love in your heart, He defends you, guides you, and arranges things for your benefit - even things that seem negative or insignificant.

And to the Corinthians he writes, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard… what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). In other words, we cannot even imagine the depth of what God desires to do in and through the life of someone whose heart is fully His.

But Scripture also reminds us that our love for God is inseparable from how we treat others: “Whoever does not love their brother or sister… cannot love God.” God is far more interested in the condition of our hearts than the volume of our declarations. Our relationships reveal the truth: kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, empathy - these are the quiet indicators that we love God.

An Invitation to Reflect

So today, God invites us into a gentle heart check. Not to condemn us, but to draw us deeper.

Do I love God with more than my words?

Does my life reflect devotion, obedience, and pursuit?

Do I treat people in a way that honors Him?

Do I choose Him even when it is inconvenient?

Loving God is not about perfection - it’s about direction. It’s about the posture of our hearts and the willingness of our lives. And the beautiful truth is this: God only needs a yielded heart to transform a whole life.

A Reflective Prayer

Father, thank You for loving me long before I knew You. Today, I ask that You draw my heart back into deeper love for You. Teach me to love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength - not just in words, but in the way I live. Help me to obey You with joy, to seek You sincerely, and to care about what matters to You.

Where my love has grown weak, strengthen it. Where my priorities have shifted, realign them. Let my life reflect a genuine love that pleases You and points others to You. And as I walk with You, help me to love people the way You do.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.