Reading Classics: Obeying the Great Commandment

The meaning of loving God can be found in Matt. 22:37.  You must love Him with everything you have.  Deut 6:5 is where it's originally given in the Old Testament.

In regards to how to love God the primary message is obedience to God.  To learn about how to obey God you much read and memorize Scripture so that you can: observe, keep, obey, be upon your heart, impress on our children, and continually talk about the Word of God.

There is the permanent, moral law of God, and obedience to God equates love to God.  Deut. 10:12-13, 11:13, 11:22, 19:9, 30:6, 8, 30:19-20.

John 14:21, 1 John 5:3.

There are two different kinds of obedience.  Cruise-control obedience and race-car obedience.  Cruise-control obedience is something many Christians do, but shouldn't.  It is, essentially, a desire to blend in with the level of obedience of those around us instead of at the level God expects from His children.

Race-car obedience is where someone who drives with all their heart, soul, and mind.  Heb. 12:14, 2 Pet. 1:5-7.  This is applicable because of the metaphor of a footrace given in 1 Cor. 9:24-27.

"You may sing with reverent zest or great emotional fervor, but your worship is only as pleasing to God as the obedience that accompanies it."

"We should delight in God.  We should eagerly anticipate fellowship with Him during the quiet time and even throughout the entire day.  It is healthy to want to gaze upon His beauty and to seek Him in His temple."

The motive behind obedience is the most important part.  Obedience expresses love, but isn't necessarily love itself.  Love isn't a feeling, but a verb.  Eph. 5:25, Matt. 5:44.  Love is also a motive that needs other verbs to give it hands and feet.  1 Cor. 13.  Love gives validity to actions, making them acceptable to God.
Without motive of love, obedience may be self-serving.  You need obedience from the heart.

"[Christ] means by this that only the free service of our wills is acceptable to Him.  Ultimately the man who comes to obey God will love Him first...Let us therefore learn that the love of God is the beginning of religion, for God will not have the forced obedience of men, but wishes their service to be free and spontaneous...Lastly we learn that God does not linger over the outward sign of achievement but chiefly searches the inner disposition [motive], that from a good root good fruits may grow."

-John Calvin

The motive for obedience is more important than level of performance.  However, a motive of love does create a concern of performance.  There are several things that can taint motives: pride, not wanting to feel guilty, fear of consequences of disobedience, and a desire to get something from God.

We must grow in our love towards God.  1 John 4:19.  We have to believe God loves us and accepts us as a son or daughter.  Rom. 8:31, Gal. 4:7.  A sense of guilt would prevent this belief.  Sometimes, a tender conscience alert to more subtle sins: pride, criticality, resentment, discontent, irritableness, can also load us down with guilt

"But whilst the conscience retains the charge of guilt, condemnation, and wrath, there cannot be purity, or sincerity of heart toward God, or sincerity of the love of God.  Human nature is so formed, that it cannot love any object that is adverse and terrible to it."
-James Fraser

The blood of Christ cleanses our conscience.  Heb. 9:14, 10:2.  This frees us to love Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds.  It also creates a spontaneous outpouring due to gratitude.  Luke 7:47, the converse is true.  To create that consistent feeling of love we must keep gospel before us every day.

The combination of faith and love is very important.  Faith: Heb. 11:6, Gal. 5:6.

"The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to Him is not to believe that He loves you."
-John Owen

Yet another reason as to why it is so important to review the gospel daily.