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5 Ways to Love God More

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

Did you know our five senses are connected? Think about it.

Do you turn down the radio or tell the kids to be quiet when driving in the rain so you can see better?

Do you close your eyes and inhale the aroma of your favorite food cooking to experience it more? It would be a disappointment to taste something that didn’t match the smell of what you were expecting.

During the Covid pandemic did you lose your sense of smell? Did that change the taste of your food?

One of the radio stations I listen to has a contest called Secret Sound. When trying to figure out the sound, sometimes it helps to close my eyes. It doesn’t help that I’m usually driving while listening.

I remember a game played to teach children about their senses where they reach their hand into a paper sack to touch something. They then describe what they feel without seeing it.

Does limiting one or more of our senses increase the others? Some would say yes. Or is it mainly to remove the distraction brought about by using other senses? When we focus on one of our senses by removing the distractions of the others, we develop increased capacity with the one. Yes, our senses are connected and affect our expectations.

Since the month of February usually focuses on love, let’s end this month by loving God with all five of our senses.

When focusing on loving God with our vision or sight, what are we looking at? Let’s look to Jesus.

“Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way” (Psalm 119:37).

“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

When focusing on loving God with our hearing, what are we listening to? Let’s listen to God and to declarations of His wonders.

“Oh, that My people would listen to Me” (Psalm 81:13).

“Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles” (Acts 15:12).

When focusing on loving God with our sense of touch, what are we reaching for?

Jesus often touched those He healed. The woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of His garment for healing as well as many other people reaching out to touch Him for healing. Children were also brought for Jesus to touch them. Psalm 119 provides several examples of reaching out to God with our heart (vs 2, 10, 34, 58, 69, 145).

What is touching our heart? Who or what are we reaching for?

When focusing on loving God with our sense of smell, what fragrance do we desire or project to others? We are the fragrance of Christ. Of death or life. What is the figurative strength of our smell to others?

“For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16).

When focusing on loving God with our sense of taste, what do we crave?

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).

“Taste the good word of God” (Hebrews 6:5).

To taste here is figuratively to experience. Are we experiencing the taste of His fullness?

There is a week left in this short month of love. Will you focus all your senses and all your heart on loving Him? With all your heart, everything in your being.

“I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7).