A question for you...

Hi Jamie,

It is certainly not easy to love God more than everyone and everything else in our lives, but it is possible and it is important. All of God's commands are important. The Bible says:

"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." ~1 John 5:3-4

While at times it may seem "burdensome" to love God before all else, God wouldn't ask us to do something that is impossible. He makes commands in our best interest, not to harm us our ruin our fun, like many may think.

I'm joining with you in putting God first and loving Him above all!

With Joy,
Lindsay

I know you said think about this, and it's sort of opposite that to post immediately after I've recieved the e*mail, but I've actually thought about this one a lot.

When I was younger I was playing hangman with my sisters and my sentence was "I love God as much as I love my family." After deducing it, my older sister told me that was wrong. Though a little hurt at the time, it got me thinking really hard about it all.

I actually do believe that it's possible, but it has to be one of the hardest achievements anyone can possibly make. I mean, I always put it this way: if the devil were to put God before you, and your family before you, and he said, "choose the one you love most, and I'll murder the others" how easy would it be to choose God? It should be simple, but I know it's not. That could also be a problem of mine: my family is literally my best friend, and I'd rather spend all my life with them than with anyone else. I mean, I've talked to friends who agree, and a lot of us would die for our pets! The creatures that God put on earth for companionship! That's incredible, and probably inacurrate. But I still can't change my mind.

Overall, I do believe it's entirely possible to reach a point like that, it's just extremely difficult. God needs to be #1 on our list no matter what we might lose by choosing Him.

Thanks for always making me think, Jamie! You help me grow in Christ. :)

God Bless,
Sarah

I have to remind myself all the time that I love God more then anything else. That means more then my boyfriend, family, friends and the list goes on and on. Now yes, I do love all those other things very much. But in my life, God is my king!

I think it is possible,but every one gets caught up in other things like boyfriends,electronics,ect.For me nothing ever is more important than knowing that god is your number one all the times.
Love,
Daisy

It's hard to grasp , but yes i think it is possible for you to love God that much. The reality is people just don't want to let go of worldly things which makes it difficult to love him with your whole heart when it's jam packed with other things. To make this possible it takes prayer and commitment so i will pray for all who struggle with this, even me.
-Love,
Savanna

It may be hard, but I honestly don't think that God would ask us to do something totally beyond our capability. That's what I think, at least.

I think it may be possible for some extremely super-human people out there but for me, personally? I doubt it.

-Lindsey

Absolutely it is possible, God loves us amazingly and He asks us to love Him with all that we are.

I think that He is asking us to allow Him to be our everything, the reason we live and breathe and get up each morning.

With lives totally abandoned to His call, everything within us yielded to His leading and hearts that hunger and thirst for intimate fellowship with Him.

It is only then that we can truly love others. Ps.139 tells us how He is there in such a beautiful way for each of us.

I dont think its impossible, b/c God wont ask us to do anything that we can't do in his strength... its really hard though

I think the point is that HE is telling us that it is possible, so it is. He knows we'll have to strive to meet all of the commandments but also knows it is possible to follow them.

He is telling us to put God before any other person, place or thing in our life and which to choose if we have to choose.

So, to me, it's not a debate, it's a commandment and my job is obedience. I read it - I get it! Not easy, but we didn't choose the easy road as Christians, did we? Our rewards are great, so all we do is to obey - no need to second guess what is possible or why God would ask us to give something else up for Him...He'll take care of all that if we obey.

I know it's possible or else God wouldn't have said to do it. He never sets up to fail. I also believe that one can only love the Lord as much as she loves herself or others. Therefore, I feel it's so very important to understand and experience the love of God in such a personal way that we are never the same again. Once we experience the love of God on that level, we are able to love Him and others like he commanded. We love because He first loved us. Most importantly, He never tells us to do something that is impossible!!!! Understanding that is INTEGRAL in the Christian faith.

Love never fails!

Well, like Jamie said It's not an easy task too love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. But you need too tell your self from time to time that if Jesus believe you can then you totally can. (: I sometimes and get caught up in the latest fashion or the newest drama and i forget that I need too spend more time with God. But everyone makes mistakes... it's okay. I might not be giving the best advice but, I'm only 13. HAHA.

Wow Jamie, and I thought you were going to ask us something difficult! lol

Actually, first of all, I think because of the "sin nature" that we are all subjected to, to fully grasp the concept of what is being asked of us is beyond our imagination!

Jesus said that John the baptist was the greatest man that has ever lived... and how was that? A life that was willfully lived in solitary confinement with God, unless when at work baptizing those who accepted the message of redemption.

Wearing camel's hair for clothing and eating locusts and bugs for his daily nutritional intake.

Imprisoned at the hands of a woman who hated everything he stood for, and then beheaded!

But yes, I do think it is possible for us to obey the greatest commandment if our focus is walking in the Spirit continually, and we are prepared to be hated by nearly everyone, and prepared to be imprisoned or die by those whose god is of this world!

Great question!!!

I think that it is humanly possible to love God more than anything in the world! It is very hard, and requires a deep faith. I am so close to my family, and cannot fathom being closer to anyone; nevertheless, it is important, therefore I try to put God first! I love God so much and am trying to make him the center of my life. I totally believe in him and love him more than anything!

Yes, it's definetly possible even though it may be hard for some of us. His love endures forever!!!!

Jamie I believe God will not put more on us then we can take even though we feel like he has. He promised to take care of us and so we should give him the Glory and Honor to believe the Bible from Genesis to Revelations.It would be very hard to put God before your family but that is where the trust in him come.

To love God, is to love our neighbor, to love our husbands, our families, and the lost. God is so honored by this and he reminds us in his word that this is how the world will know that you are my disciples by the love you have for one another. I have come to understand in my relationship with Christ, that the more I surrender to his lordship, the more he fills me with his love and then i have to pour that love out. it is a beautiful thing. When I hold parts of me and my life back from him, then i soon becomes stagnant and my well begins to dry up and i do not have much to give. anyway, i encourage you to just willingly surrender and trust God and he will always be faithful to you. I pray you will grow in hunger and thirst for him. He loves you! thanks for your transparency.

Love your God above all else...
Such a hard thing to fathom, especially when the God we are to love is Someone that we cannot see or hear. We are emotional creatures driven by emotions...so love should come easy, right? Not necessarily. Loving God is so much more than just an emotion. It is a decision, a commitment, a journey. We are told in the Bible who God is (His attributes). But until we experience God in our lives, then we cannot truly know who He is. But we must decide that we want to know Him. Then comes the commitment of learning about Him through His word. And finally, by allowing Him to journey with us through our lives will we be able to experience the love God has for us. And it is precisely through these experiences that we grow closer to God and start to understand that ultimate commandment to love God above all else. It is not something that happens instantaneously when we become a Christian. It happens as we grow in our relationship with God.

I have thought about this before. We say we do but when we are shopping or want something really bad it's all we can think about we think of God as the one who comes right after that thing or the one who will get it for us if we promise to read his word. It is hard to put God first sometimes but for this school year I have a theme verse. Colossians 6:17: He is also head of the body, the church, and he is the beginning the first born from the dead so that he himself may come to have first place in everything. I have it written all over my binders and folders and it has helped me throught tough decisions. We will make mistakes but when we have Gods word hidden in our hearts it makes it a little Easier to think of Jesus more constantly.
-Erica

Jamie-
It's definitely one of the hardest things to do. But, God created us, in His image to worship Him. It wasn't because He was bored, He wanted someone to look after His creation and to have a personal relationship with. And then, when the human race messed up big time, He picked up the pieces by sending His beloved son to suffer and die upon a cross. FOR US. After all the heartache we put Him through by sinning, He loves us eternally and will never leave our side. I think it's the least we can do to make Him top priority, when we are obviously His. No one said it's easy. Cause it's not. And no one said we'll be perfect. Cause we won't. But we need to put our best effort forward, and just keep in mind all our Savior has done for us, when we're thinking about ourselves.

To love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength must be possible otherwise God would not have commanded it. It requires us to completely submit our wills daily, with every decision we make. I think it's important to note that it is a commandment not a suggestion, or option. Is it practical? By the world's standards- no. It will probably lead you to make some crazy choices.

When we view God as truly is -worthy and awesome- we will find that his love is what will fuel us to keep choosing to love Him. But how do get to know this insivible God? In Matthew 5:8 it says- “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God". It's by obedience to his commands.

We won't get it right the first time and we'll mess up along the way. It takes practice. Loving God is a journey of growth. By choosing to continuously follow him, getting to know his character by reading his word he will reveal himself to you and you'll find yourself in love with an wonderful, loving God.

This question got me thinking about this:
"Love God with all your heart, and you've got nothing to fear; death or punishment, judgement or hell; love when it reaches full growth, is an unfailing passport to God's presence If we are still hankering after our sinful habits, of course we are afraid of death and judgement. Just as well, all the same, that if love can succeed in beckoning us away from evil courses, we should be away by the fear of hell. Only if a man doesn't make fear of God his first consideration, his good resolutions won't last he will walk into some trap of the Devil's before long."- "Imitation of Christ"- Thomas Kempis

Yeah I believe it is possible. I love God with everything in me and more. Without him I would be lost.

You quoted scripture..."Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength". THEN, you asked an UNRELATED question: "do you think you can really love Him more than you love anything or anyone else in the world including friends, boyfriends, future husbands, children, parents, everyone?" God doesn't ask us him MORE, he asks us to love him with all of our heart and with all your soul and with all you mind and with all your strength. If I loved my older brother with all of my heart can I not love my younger brother with all of my heart? Of course. I can also love my father AND my heavenly father with all of my heart.

If your question is can you love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, then yes, AND this all incompassing love for Him increases the longer you experience life with Him. So does your faith in Him...Your faith in Him deepens as you learn He is who is He is; and His promises are true.

I think it is definitly possible, yet I haven't figured out how to make that true in my own life, so if anybody has, please let me in on the 411. um, but my advice to you is to just keep trying, as long as you are trying you are doing something. I hope it works out for you.

The real challenge is whether or not we can love God more than we love ourselves. Being the sinful creatures that we are, there is no one we love more than ourselves. Without the love of Christ in us, it is just not possible to truly love any one with the godly love that we are called to do. With that, I believe it is possible. Just think of all of the Christians that have been killed for not denouncing God. Just tonight our family watched Martin Luther. There is a great example of someone who loved God more than anything, including himself. So, I believe it is possible. There just aren't that many people that are willing to give up self to do it.

I honestly think that you could lovee god with all of your heart. If you put the timee && effort in it. I mean he put uss first when he killed his only begotten son to savee us from our sinss. && peoplee still dont seem to apperciate that. In my situation I could put god first. i lovee my family && all.. I'll do anything for them becausee they weree theree for mee throughout all my trialss && tribulationss. But when it comess to thiss boyfriend thing im not so suree.. becauseee your boyfriend, husband, etc. can leave or cheat on youu anytimee they pleasee.. but my god will always be theree && he has. so for that i lovee && thank you god. && thats that.

I believe that I can, but that I need to learn how to put Him first, because that is the biggest act of love. I make time for Him each morning with quiet times, and I go to church every Sunday and youth group Wednesday, but is that enough? I doubt it. Long story short, I believe it is possible, but that it will be a struggle to reach it fully.

Jamie,
Yes, I think it's possible to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I admit, I don't. One of my "goals" for this year was to fall in love with Jesus. Now,anytime in the day, I can truly say "I love you, Jesus" and mean it with all my heart. All my soul, mind and strength? Well, I suppose soul and mind would be, His thoughts consuming our thoughts, kinda like when you love someone, normally a guy, and you think about them all the time. Anything they like makes you think of them; their picture is all over your desk. All my strength? Well, if we love God we'll obey His commands. I'm sure it's possible, but wow, I don't know if I have that much commitment, loving Him MORE than anything...I assure you I'll be thinking this over more. It reminds me of when God calls us to be holy, but can't be right? We sin? Well, we will in heaven? Is that the only place we'll be able to love God with all our heart, soul, mine and strength too? I hope not.

I almost lost what I did love with all my heart, soul and mind (sadly it wasn't God). It was my marriage, it was failing and I hung onto it for dear life. In doing so I lost touch with the woman God had designed me to be, I lost sight of His love for me.

I gave my marriage to God, on an altar (so to speak, next to Issac figuratively speaking)

When I gave to God what I so desperately wanted I was 'naked' of the thing that I so desired and God clothed me with Himself. I was so satisfied in Him, the things I wanted could never have compared.

He became my all and all but I had to give Him the desires of my heart- in order to delight in Him. While delighting in Him, He gave me an incredible marriage. It was all Him and I know it is a gift. I did not earn it, nor did I deserve it, it is a gift.

I do not put it before my Jealous God, but I treasure what He has done for me and I love Him, with all my heart, soul and mind.

It is a very interesting question to be posing at this time. Believe it or not, that is one of the things that I am struggling with the most right now.

Is it possible.... sure, it is possible. If it were'nt, God wouldn't have required it.

Is it for our good?? Most definitely!! If we love the Lord our God more than anything else... we will align ourselves to what He likes/wills/wants which would save us all a lot of heartaches and stresses.

Have I mastered it? ABSOLUTELY NOT! But, I have to start somewhere. I am making a concerted effort just to read His Word daily (in the morning)... and to pray as often throughout the day as I can. If I do that, my heart is more susceptible to listen to what He has for me that day. The first step is to be willing to listen. The more you practice that....the more often you will listen and be inclined to be obedient.

I would much rather be willingly humble, and willingly obedient than for God to have to make me that way.

Without a doubt!

Wow! I agree that God would never ask us to do something that is totally impossible, but He does ask us to use our free wills to surrender everything to Him on a daily basis. I love how He puts things in order-the heart first. That's the key. If we first love Him with our hearts, the other things fall into line better and it's easier to obey in the hard choices of life.

Yes, I love the Lord with all my heart.
The problem is I have to focus, remind my mind, prioritize over my wants....
It is a on going process.
That is why, I try to reach out and listen,to my Lord, daily.

I don't think its humanly possible. Even if you are trying your hardest to do it. I mean if something happens, who's the first person you think of? Usually a family member. For a mom, if we are in a car accident, we usually think of our husband and children first, then we look to God. If we are at the store shopping, we think of our family first, then we will ask God "Do we really need this". We are not perfect and putting others before God is a sin, and we all are sinners, even after being saved we will still sin. This is just my short version, but I too have thought of this and wondered "how" can I as an unperfect sinnful person, possibly love and put God above all else, when I constantly think of my family. And right now I am going through a season of God being my "only friend" and its because he is working on me with this issue and he wants me all to his self and share his self with me so I can learn to put him first in my life more than I ever have in my life. Its been a wonderful transformation, but I will be molded by God till I see him in Heaven.

Hi,
Though it is extremely hard, yes, it is possible. Many times life catches up with us, and we put God lower down on our list, and in doing that, He becomes not our First Love, but our second, or third, etc. God should be our First Love, He should be our number one priority, because in the end, He's all that matters. Our family, friends, boyfriends, whatever, can't come with us to Heaven, they've gotta have their own relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

I feel like i will keep loving him more than anything, life is hard and to the only one one u can go to is God and there's no one who will support and help in everyway like him...family, boyfriends, husbands, friends, siblings, daughters and sons they're all just lended to us and who gave them to us is God so who should be ur first and biggets love?...life is rough and the only one that u think of when u know that the ones that surround u can't help u, IS THE LORD...

I totally think its possible. I think we have to remind ourselves all the time of how great and awesome our God is and what Jesus did for us.

It's a simple concept, but it sometimes is hard to put into practice. However, it is something we can practice at every day. The more time we spend in His Word and in prayer, the easier it becomes.

We do, however, have to make that a conscious decision in our lives. It's not something we can do casually. It takes active participation and effort.

I feel that u should love the lord with all your heart and strength why because he's always there when u are goin through your situations like for instants relationship problems getting hurt by the one's u love and depression. so there's lot more that he can help u get through your hard times by encouraging u to move on and let god fight your battles.

okay heres what i have....rly im not sure. heres why: 1) i know that this is what God wants us to strive for and i think that he wouldnt ask us to do things that we cannot do
but then on the other hand...
2) Sometimes I think maybe this is just a goal. I mean to love God above all things...to me... means that we would be without sin. because we would always be able to resist temptation. i think he is just asking us to try maybe so that we will be prepared for heaven when we really will be w/out sin....
currently i am leaning toward #2 but ask me 2morro and im not sure if that woud be my answer.

okay im back again...now after i've read all these posts im rly confused. Everyone seems so SURE. am i doing something wrong? does everyone see something that i dont? Does everyone else just have a deeper understanding and faith? Plz help. I will pray about this.

Grace,
Maybe this will help. You can love someone with all your heart and still be a sinner. What He's asking is that we love Him more than we love anything else, He even goes so far as to say that the love we have for others should look like hate compared to the love we have for Him (Luke 14:26). I believe it's definitely a lifelong process. We're never going to love Him perfectly this side of Heaven, but do you think you could love Him the most? See if that helps you work this out and thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I think it is definitely possible, otherwise God wouldn't have told us to do it. He won't ever ask us to do something we can't without supplying the power to do it. He gave us free will, and that is a form of power. So yes it is possible. Now, do we always love Him like we should? (That's a personnel question) I know I don't always. But reading His Scripture and learning and being with Him helps-a lot. Now, just because we don't love Him, does that mean He doesn't love us? Ummmmm, No! You can't make God love you more or less by the things you do. We just need to return the favor.

It is most definitely possible, though making the CHOICE to love at times can seem to be an impossible task! Though, is this not why we were created in the likeness and image of God and put here on earth? To love and serve Him and our neighor? It is by no means easily done, but as we all know, life is not always easy. Some of the best things obtained in life are the fruits of hard labor. Praise Be to God!

i try to love him the more then i love any thing els

I thin k it is possible. You can love him with all your heart, soul, and mind. It is just a struggle for some people to do it.

My answer is absolutely YES! I was saved when I was 18 and it took me until I was around 40 to figure it out. But when you really trust Him, really know Him through His word and through His hand at work around you, really pray expectantly to Him and receive His answers, really worship the One "whom the train of His robe fills the Temple", you can and do love Him more than anything or anyone else. He alone does not disappoint! He alone is worthy!

Along with life's circumstances, God used two Bible Studies in my life to find this relationship with Him: "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby, and "Believing God" by Beth Moore.

It is now my prayer that my children will know an intimate relationship with their Lord and Savior ... there's no joy so sweet!

God IS faithful to all who seek Him earnestly! Go for it!

Jamie:
It's definitely possible to love God more than anything else. I think my mom and grandma are a great example of this. It's not an easy thing to do with all the materialism and temptation in this world, but it's for sure achievable. As christians, we will still sin because we're humans, but if we are true in asking God for forgiveness, it's still possible to love him unconditionally. God sacrificed his ONLY son because he loves us soooo much. That's more than enough to make me love him the same way.

yes i do believe that we can love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength. It is very possible. We just need to see life the way that God sees it and not the way that the world sees it.

I definitely think it's possible. If it wasn't, God wouldn't have commanded us to do it. He gives us the strength to do it. However, it is incredibly hard for us to do so.

For me, I have difficulty because I need to be able to touch people, feel them. Sure, phone's are nice, but when I need comforting nothing really works unless someones arms are around me.
Love, Bethany

hi jaime,
well for me..
i really believe that you can Love God with all your mind, soul and strength because if you are really devoted to Him..you can sacrifice everything in your life no matter how important they are or not..:)

and..when you know He Loves you..and when You know you love him...EVERYTHING seems PERFECT!

phoebe...:)

Dear Jamie,
I believe it is possible to love God with reckless abandon. But I also think that it is not something that can happen when every time you ask for it meaning it's not something that happens right away but I believe it is something that happens as you grow in Christ and as you get older

Elizabeth

Funny you should bring this subject up. I have been contemplating this a lot recently.
Persecution of the church in the USA is increasing. I have questioned my faith. Not whether I am truly saved, but how much can I watch my family suffer before I am willing to reject God. How much physical pain can I take?
I know, to some, this seems really 'out there' but the Bible prophesies of terrible persecution of the church and we don't know the timeline. Will the church be raptured before the persecution gets really bad or will we be sifted first?
Although we can’t know for certain, I believe there is going to be a sifting of the Christians and many will fall away but many, many more will see the steadfast faith of the remnant and be drawn to Christ.
We know Jesus wants ALL of us to be with Him in Heaven and we also know that the greatest revival comes in the face of persecution. That’s why everyone flocked to churches on 9/12/2001 and why China has the fastest growing Christian population in the world.
My answer to your question is YES. I do believe that it’s possible to put God above everyone and everything but not by our own might. I believe the indwelling of the Holy Spirit gives us, and will multiply it in times of despair, the supernatural strength to do so. The promise of eternity in the presence of God in all his glory is more than enough reason for me to do so.
One thing that I have thought about is, what would I do if my children’s lives were threatened unless I reject my faith. The only answers I have are questions. 1. If I am willing to accept eternal damnation to spare their lives on earth will they treasure this life more than their eternal lives? Eternity is such an abstract thing to a child. 2. If my life is threatened and I reject my faith, how many around me, including my family will follow my example straight to hell?
Sobering questions that leave me with only one answer. Eternal life with my Lord and Savior and my family is worth sacrificing it ALL.
42year old mother of 4 (5 of you count hubby) ;)

Jamie,
I really think that that is a very important question.
I do think that loving God more than anything else IS possible (after all, everything is possible with God) but I think that society has made it a lot harder over the years.
Let's look back to Bible times.
Everyone who considered themselves a follower of God was pretty involved. I mean, that was their life! They spent a lot of time and dedicated themselves to learning more about God. However, they did not have what we have today.
Today, society has twisted our minds and made our priorities and views a lot different. Now, we have more technology, we have a twisted view on faith, we idolize money, we hardly have time to breathe because of business (let alone pray) and a lot of other things. There is so much more that has been available for us to love, prioritize, and idolize besides God. In Bible times, they had a few things like that, but not the wide variety of today.
I think that if we really tried, we could make God #1 in our lives. It would be a struggle, and might in fact change our lives. Some of us may not be ready for that change, because if we do, everything could 'fall apart' in our eyes. We might lose some of our friends, and a bit of our popularity, we could have the label 'Jesus Freak' for the rest of our lives, but in the scheme of ETERNITY, does that even matter? If you really are striving for God, to please him, to grow as a Christian and a follower of HIM, we need to forget what we know, trust HIM, walk right to the edge of that cliff, and jump off. We need to forget about the kids at school, we need to forget about having the prettiest body, we need to forget about buying Aeropostale's newest brand of clothing just so we can sit at the popular table this week.
I know it can be hard to try to believe in something you can't see, let alone give all of our heart, mind, and strength to, and at times, I used to wonder if there really was a God. I used to worry about what would happen if WE were on the wrong end, and would spend the rest of eternity in a place like hell, but one day, I felt really confused, so I picked up a Bible. I have started to read it, and it really does help. Between the Bible and God himself, my eyes have been opened so much. I am currently giving myself up to God. I still have a lot of work to do. The path of giving your all to God is a long and hard one. There are so many side roads that can lead you astray, but if you trust Him, and listen, He will show you the way. He will never leave you.
He has given so much to us. The least we can do is give ourselves up to him.

Only in a deep personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and in HIS power. He won't ask or command us to do anything HIS Grace won't suffice.

hey jamie;
i think that it is possible to love God with everything you have and with your whole heart. i also think that you have to be really devoted to do that and if you are a christian you should be devoted to God , he is totally worth it and loves us more than we could ever love him so shouldnt we do the same and love him as he loves us ?finally i want to say that he made us so he put a longing for him inside us that says we cant live without him so i conclude by saying that yes i believe that we can love God with all our hearts with all our souls with all our minds and all our strength.

sincerly mikaila

No, you are not doing something wrong, but instead doing something very right. If you are reading a scripture about loving Him with all your heart and seeking a way to do it, that's very deep and shows maturity in itself. When God leaves us instructions for what to do as part of our love story with Christ, He only leaves instructions that we can do, and yes, we'll do them imperfectly. I guess this is it----as we look back over our lives, we won't have done everything right, but we'll see that we've continued to follow this amazing God, and how amzing its been. Its not about being perfect,its about being in love with Someone who is perfect.

YES! It is not only possible but God's word says we are to love Him above all. When first accepting Christ you are on such a mountain top, then as you mature and grow in the Lord you start to really ponder and think on His word, and I agree some things are really tough, but God must be first and if God is truly first in our life then we do love Him more than all else.

If God said it, it's very much possible!!! God never said things in life would be easy.
When I get wrapped up with things like guys and activities I realize my complete focus is not on God and neither is my heart. Through counseling I've learned to make choices and rearrange my schedule so I'm serving God. Friends and guys will fade away. So will family, but God will still be there. If we don't completely trust and love God with everything in our soul, what do we have? We won't have anything in this world.

Yes, I love the Lord, my God, but since I am human and imperfect. I don't believe I can truly love God more than anyone or anything else on my own. It is only by the Holy Spirit that I can love at all. I say I love HIM, but do I really love HIM more than everything else? Probably not, but I do want to and will try to by HIS power.

i think that its easy to love him more than anything else because he is the only thing in this world will let you down at one point, but he wont.

Since the true meaning of the word "love" is a verb, then I would have say the answer to your question is no. Take Peter for example, his mind never thought he would ever not show 100% love to Jesus, but the fight within his own FLESH he denied loving Jesus. Jesus knows this is our battle, and thus why He told his disciples in the Garden that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matt 26:41 & Mark 14:38). Even Paul said in Romans 7:15 "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. This is so sad, but so true for even the person who feels they "love" God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. Although, it is our hearts pure desire, and never forget, it IS the PURE DESIRE of our heart that is seen by our Father.

It certainly is not an easy task. Possible, but if we reached that, we would be awfully close to perfect which is impossible. I try so hard to love God more than anything else but, it's difficult!! I think it all begins with self concept. Do we believe we deserve Hell? Do we believe despite this that God placed worth on us and that He showed us mercy and grace? Some questions I have actually been thinking about lately. I don't know about any of you, but I often think, Oh I know without Christ I wouldn't be going to Heaven and I can't do it on my own, but do I REALLY deserve Hell? Interesting to think about.

I believe that the love that the Lord refers to is an unconditional, sacrificial, obedient love that filters every issue that flows through our heart, our soul, our minds and through our strength (actions with confidence through Christ). We are to Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. -Proverbs 3:5-6
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. -Jeremiah 33:3
As we abide in HIM...we learn to LOVE like HE LOVES.

Humbled to be called, "A child of the KING."

-Kellie

It is extremely hard to love God with all your soul, heart, and mind but if it is one of his commands then i think it is possible to love him more than everything else and love him with all you've got.

Wow. I've thought that question to myself so often, but have been to scared to really think it out.
I think that it is possible to love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind, but we all go through..."phases" that hinder us in our walk with God, especially how much we honor Him on a day-to-day basis. I know it's something that I need to work on. Sometimes I don't think it's possible, but I would say yes, but not always.

Hmm... okay i think i get it...but i think i'll pray about it some more. For me all my life I've been told "just love God above all things and b perfect....or else" And i'd be like "ummm okay" but just saying you have love 4 God really means nothing.i know lots of people who are always talking about how they love God over EVERYTHING but their actions dont say that at all. I'm going to try to work toward loving Him above everything, and showing it, and not just because someone's saying OR ELSE

i personaly dont think its possable to luv god with everything u have but u still have to try im gonna pray about it!!!!

well, this is a hard question. i dont exactly know how to answer this. but i know that i'll always try to put God first, loving Him more then anything else, or anyone else.

God wouldn't say something in the Bible He knew we couldn't accomplish. This IS a good question. A lot of girls I know are caught up in boys, Facebook or Myspace, etc. I don't want you to think these things are bad, I have a Facebook myself, but we don't need to spend more time pleasing ourselves than time spent with God.
Anyway, back to the point. It is possible. But we can't do anything this spectacular without serios prayer, faith and trust. We also need seious backup from other Christians who are trying to get there themselves, or have somehow conquered this themselves and have faith much bigger than a mustard seed. will I ever get there? Probably not. Even though it is possible, only the elite few have actually overcome this.
Becka

I do think it is possible because I don't believe that God would give us a commandment that is impossible to fulfill. However, I don't think it is possible to do this in our own strength. We can only do it because He gives us the ability to do so. We are frail, sinful and selfish so that we need His power to be able to love with all of our being.

I believe we can do ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST who gives us strength. On our own I know this would be impossible but through Christ we CAN do all things. We will fail because we are only human but grace covers us and we must continually look to Christ for the strength to be all He calls us to be.

Blessings,
Laurie

i think its possible but most people dont

um i think you can love God just not with everything i mean you might be but you have to really love God to love Him with everything youve got. i personally dont love him with everything i have. but friends and things are really getting in the way im trying to push them aside and focus on God but it kinda hard for me since like everyone at school in my grade is my friend. i wish i could just focus on God more. i will definetly pray and think about it. can you help me.

Hi Jamie yes i do beleive you can love the lord with all that you have. But it is very hard to place him abocve everyone and everything you love in this world. but he is so much more than everything here and without him we are nothing. He is the reason we exist. Do I love him with everything i have in my body. Yes and i am Grateful for his love and forgiveness for me

You gals and guy are so on point - The very fact that God asked us to love Him completely...with all our heart, soul, and mind.

A Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.... the temptation because we are human and live in the world is to function the way they do - they ask others (family, friends, whoever) for help and advice and once things get terrible they know where to find God and they know to pray but as belivers we are to go to God FIRST!!!

He knows what He is doing and I truly believe that he is rarely going to ask us to do something that we won't need him to help us with...Pro 3:5-6 states thatwe are to....5Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. 6In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

No one said this would be easy and I agree with the person who said that this is a constant thing because it is a process and something that you have to work at, amongst other things the word tells us to renew our mind and take captive thoughts that don't agree with the will and purpose of God that's a constant thing - we are also instructed to keep the word before us...and to walk in the spirit so we won't fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

This thing is a walk - you hit the mark one step at a time and if you mess up and have your priorities out of order you just ask the Lord to forgive you reprioritize and try again. God sees our heart and he wouldn't have instructed us to do something that we couldn't do - that wouldn't be fair and God is more than fair in everything that He does. Plus He has our best interest in mind - He wouldn't ask us to do anything that would hurt or harm us - He loves us too much to leave us where we are but he won't force us we have to be willing to cooperate!

Even Paul said that he wasn't perfect but with no excuses he said that he still pressed toward the mark - the call and will of God (Philippians 4:12-14) Never Ever Give Up! Keep Pressin'for Life!