How Do We Prove Our Love for God?

Have you experienced the feeling of hearing someone tell you they love you, but their actions don’t back it up? It doesn’t feel good, especially when you have shown up for this person and had their back. Love without proof feels hollow; it just doesn’t cut it. When we say we love someone but don't show it through meaningful actions, the love we’re putting out there will probably feel distant or empty, and that’s not the kind of genuine love we should be giving or receiving. The very nature of relationships is built on the exchange of love. When we know that someone’s love is not just in words, but it's something tangible and real, it feeds our soul in a deep way. We need to remember that God is the One who set all this up. He’s our Heavenly Father, and He created us to be conduits of His love. It’s only natural that He would want to receive our love as well. 

1 John 4:16 (NLT) tells us: “We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and anyone who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in them.” Our Heavenly Father is love, and everything He does is driven by His great love for us all. He demonstrated His love for us by giving His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Romans 5:8 (NLT) declares: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Even when we were lost in darkness and separated from Him by our sin, our Heavenly Father made this incredible sacrifice for us. Now, because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, we can live powerfully through God’s love and share it with others. 

Our beloved Lord and Savior always did the will of God; He never strayed away from it. His life on earth is our perfect example, and following it is God's requirement for all His children. 1 Peter 2:21 (NLT) says: “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps." Through Christ, our Heavenly Father has taught us to love and honor Him by being obedient to His Word, loving others, and worshiping Him in the way He deserves. As followers of Christ, our greatest desire should be to live in a way that reflects our obedience and devotion to the Father.

Obedient to God’s WordOne of the amazing ways that we prove our love for God is to obey His Word. Jesus Christ said in John 14:15,21 (NLT): “15 If you love me, obey my commandments. 21Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them." Obeying God’s Word demonstrates our faith in His love and power, causes us to be in harmony with His Will, and it positions us to receive blessings and rewards. Our Heavenly Father always wants the best for us, and His Word provides instructions and guidance that keep us firmly planted in His purpose. 

2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT) tells us: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." Some people erroneously believe that the Word of God is an ancient book that doesn’t apply to modern life. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Scriptures are alive with God’s love, power, and purpose. They are inspired by God, and every verse, every story, and every lesson in the Bible comes from His heart and wisdom. When we veer off track or struggle with what’s wrong, it corrects and leads us back to the right path. God’s Word transforms and shapes us into the people our He created us to be. We are incredibly privileged to be obedient to God’s truth, and to allow it to lead us toward a life that reflects His love and righteousness. This should be our greatest pursuit in life. 

Loving Others with the Heart of Christ

Loving others with the heart of Christ is such a beautiful and deep call. In John 15:12 (NLT), our beloved Savior tells us, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” One of the things we learn about his love in God’s Word is that it’s a love that knew no boundaries. He loved those who weren’t easy to love; even his enemies. He loved when it was costly, when it meant laying down His life for us. He commands us to love people the way that he did, this means that we must go beyond a surface-level kindness, and love sacrificially, selflessly, and unconditionally. 

Loving this way is not always easy to do, but it should be the trademark of every believer. It proves our identity as children of God and demonstrates our trust and love for Him. God loves us even when we’re at our worst, and we can make this same choice. Jesus calls us to love radically in Matthew 5:44 (NLT), saying, “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” It’s not about choosing to love when it’s easy but about making the decision to look beyond someone’s faults, even when we don’t feel like we’ve got anything left for this person; like Christ, we should love them anyway.  And that’s what should define us as believers. Every time we love like this, we’re demonstrating our faith in God, as well as our unwavering trust and love for Him.

Praise and Worship

God has graciously granted us salvation and the perfect example of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. He has given us the precious gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to teach, comfort, and guide us as we grow in Christ. Additionally, He has provided the immeasurable treasure of His matchless Word. It’s clear that our Heavenly Father desires for us to know Him intimately—so deeply that we reflect His character and nature in all that we do. As we read and study His Word, the Spirit within us testifies to this truth: that God is perfect, brilliant, holy, righteous, all-powerful, all-knowing, sovereign, and full of love and mercy. He is glorious beyond comprehension, and to recognize this is to know the truth.

The question is: How can we not give Him all the glory and honor He so richly deserves? Anything or anyone that is glorious deserves glory. This is profoundly transparent. There's no one more glorious than our Heavenly Father, and it is our privilege and responsibility to praise and worship Him. It goes so much deeper than just going through the motions. Many people approach praise and worship that way, and it's not pleasing to Him. On the deepest soul level, our well of gratitude must bubble up and rise above anything that isn't worthy of God's light. Jesus tells us in John 4:24 (NLT): “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." To worship God in spirit and truth, we must recognize the truth of His phenomenal being. When we do and praise and worship Him with our whole hearts, we prove our love for Him. 

Being obedient to His Word, loving others, and worshiping and praising Him as He deserves are wonderful ways to show our love and honor for God, but they are just the beginning. There’s no need to strain ourselves trying to figure it all out. We simply need to pray, asking God to give us a heart that truly loves Him, and then be committed to following His guidance every day. This is not a burdensome task; it’s the most rewarding journey we could ever hope to take. It’s about clinging to God with our whole hearts and living with the confidence that we are pleasing Him as we strive to love Him with all our minds, hearts, souls, and strength. ■

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

“How Do We Prove Our Love for God?”, written by Vince Mack. Blessing Beads and More© 2025. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.