FamilyLife® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and all gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law. We come to understand who God is, and we are changed—our affections detach from lesser things and attach to Him. For years I tried to love God with my heart to the neglect of my mind, not recognizing my need to grow in the knowledge of the “I AM.” Any systematic study of the Bible felt mechanical, even a little like an act of faithlessness or an admission that the Holy Spirit’s insight during a quiet time wasn’t enough for me. Love to God will dispose to walk humbly with God. Help others Find an event Find global partners Find small group studies Help for pastors Help for stepfamilies Help for you Listen to FamilyLife Blended® Listen to FamilyLife Today® Ministry Advisor, About us Contact us Career Opportunities Make a donation Annual Report Leave a Legacy. By clicking the "Sign up" button, you agree to receive email updates from FamilyLife and agree to FamilyLife’s, Go Back To All Growing in Your Faith Articles, Anger Issues: How I’m Helping My Kids…and Myself, 5 Ways My Dad Helped Me Transition into Adulthood, Need Stability This School Year? Q. Love of God must be lit and fanned by the knowledge of God, for to know Him is to love Him. Just as I love my husband more as I know him better, my feelings for God grow as I grow in my knowledge of Him. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. The greater our understanding of the beauty of God’s infinite excellence and love, the more we will adore Him for who He is and for the greatness of the gifts He has lavished on us. Men are disposed to gratitude for any kindnesses they receive from those they love. Seeing ourselves in the Bible and engaging our emotions in loving God are beautiful things. 1:2-3). In fact, the entire Christian life flows from the knowledge of God: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Pet. Our “walk with the Lord” can feel more like a roller-coaster ride of peaks and valleys than a straight path in which valleys and mountains have been made level. Unless we turn things around, placing the mind in charge of the heart, we could be in for a long, wild ride. In his exposition on 1 Corinthians 13, however, Jonathan Edwards gets to the heart of the matter. If you have questions about products, donations, registrations, etc., complete this form or call: 1-800-358-6329, Monday-Friday 8am-6pm (CST). Those initial feelings of love either dwindle or deepen, depending on how we nurture them. Bible study that equips does not divorce the heart from study, but it puts the heart in the right place: informed by the mind. Looking back on 20 years of marriage, I can honestly say that I love my husband exponentially more than I did on our wedding day. This is the message of Romans 12:2-3—not that the mind alone affects transformation, but that the path to transformation runs from the mind to the heart, and not the other way around. Hidden in this thinking is an honest desire to share a deep relationship with a personal God, but sustaining our emotions can be exhausting and defeating. A true Christian delights to have God exalted in his abasement, because he loves God. Comments on to know someone is to love him/her. On our wedding day I suspected he would be a good father, a hard worker, and a faithful sounding board, but 20 years later I know him to be these things. How Can an Omnipresent God Be in Hell if that is Eternal Separation from God. If you only knew him, the way I know him, you would understand my Love for him. Nothing can so move the heart of God’s child to faithful and zealous service than sight of the beauty of His perfections revealed in the person and work of Jesus. Learn a new word every day. All Rights Reserved. Thank you kindly. Through much application of mental discipline, her proficiency at playing—and consequently, her love for playing—grow and flourish. By asking our hearts to lead our minds, have we willingly purchased a ticket to the roller-coaster ride? Our zeal to serve Christ languishes when choked by worldly weeds. As love perseveres, climbs any mountain, and fights to the death for the object of its affection, so love to God obeys, serves, submits, and worships. It’s not too late to turn things around. Consider another illustration: If I told you that I loved the piano and took great enjoyment in playing it, how could you discover whether my feelings about the piano were real or not? 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, while reaching No. Most people come to faith in God on very little information.