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What does it mean to love the Lord?

What does it mean to love the Lord, as written in today’s passage from Deuteronomy? It’s a question I’ve pondered for a long time, but honestly, I still don’t have a clear answer.

“to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul”

Devotional 11:13 (NIV)

To explore this question further, I searched for the word “love” in my Bible app and found many verses. One passage that defines love in detail is 1 Corinthians 13.

But looking at 1 Corinthians 13:4, where it says “Love is patient,” I wonder—how can we be “patient” with God? That seems a little strange. So perhaps 1 Corinthians 13 is more about love toward others, not necessarily love toward God.

“Love is patient”

1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

Then I turned to 1 John,
and there it says that love comes from God, and that God is love.

“God is love”

1 John 4:16 (NIV)

Logically speaking,
if “God = Love,”
then “To love God” becomes “To God God.”

That gives me a sense of understanding, but it’s also a bit of an awkward expression.

I truly want to live according to Deuteronomy 11:13, but what does it mean, in real life, to love God?

What if Jesus came to me like He did to Peter and asked,
“Do you love me?”

I might awkwardly answer,
“Lord… I’m not even sure what love really means…”

But while reading, one line I wrote above stood out to me:
“I truly want to live according to Deuteronomy 11:13”

Maybe that heart to live by God’s Word is, in its own way, love for the Lord.

Less idolatrous today?

Today’s passage also warns about idolatry and the destruction that comes with it.

“Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.”

Deuteronomy 11:16–17 (NIV)

God repeatedly warns against idolatry throughout the Bible, yet the people of Israel constantly fell into it.

But in our modern world, idolatry seems less visible. Few people go to fortune tellers or make sacrifices to statues. We rarely see anyone crafting golden calves or bowing to carved images.

So does that mean people today are less idolatrous—maybe even better—than the Israelites?

According to this verse, even if we don’t physically bow to idols or visit shamans, if we have greed in our hearts, we are guilty of idolatry.

“… and greed, which is idolatry.”

Colossians 3:5 (NIV)

“Greed”
Suddenly, the definition of idolatry feels much broader

What do I do with the greedy desires that constantly rise within me? If idolatry angers God, and if greed is a form of idolatry, then I’m in trouble… big trouble…

Even if greed never fully disappears from my heart, when my heart to follow God clashes with that greed, choosing the Lord over my desires—out of love for Him—
maybe that is what it truly means to love the Lord and turn away from idolatry.

A Prayer for loving God

Lord,
Whether I work day to day as a laborer, or find a new path in finance,
whether I join a small company or a big one,
whether I succeed in this world or fail

In every season,
help me to cling to You, not to my desires.

Lord, don’t ever let go of me.

Amen.