How Do We Love God?

How do we love God?

Summary:

The love of God comes from the knowledge of God.
We express our love for God and build our relationship with him through prayer.

Related Writings: (Writings in bold are good for memorizing)

"O Son of Being! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant" -Baha'u'llah

"O Son of Being! My love is My stronghold; he that entereth therein is safe and secure, and he that turneth away shall surely stray and perish." -Baha'u'llah

"O my Lord! O my Lord! This is a lamp lighted by the fire of Thy love and ablaze with the flame which is ignited in the tree of Thy mercy. O my Lord! Increase his enkindlement, heat and flame, with the fire which is kindled in the Sinai of Thy Manifestation. Verily, Thou art the Confirmer, the Assister, the Powerful, the Generous, the Loving." -`Abdu'l-Baha

"O my God! O my God! This, Thy servant, hath advanced towards Thee, is passionately wandering in the desert of Thy love, walking in the path of Thy service, anticipating Thy favors, hoping for Thy bounty, relying upon Thy kingdom, and intoxicated by the wine of Thy gift. O my God! Increase the fervor of his affection for Thee, the constancy of his praise of Thee, and the ardor of his love for Thee.
Verily, Thou art the Most Generous, the Lord of grace abounding. There is no other God but Thee, the Forgiving, the Merciful." -`Abdu'l-Baha

"In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven... When a man falls in love with a human being, it is impossible for him to keep from mentioning the name of his beloved. How much more difficult to keep from mentioning the Name of God when one has come to love Him... The spiritual man finds no delight in anything save in commemoration of God." -`Abdu'l-Baha

Ideas:

During evening prayers, take time for each member of the family to thank God for something that happened that day. Or keep a journal with the heading "I thank God today for..." on each page. Remembering and appreciating the good things God provides for us will help us to love God more.

Resources:

We are Baha'is, Too! (available on CD or cassette)
"O Son of Being! Love Me, that I may love thee..." is in song form on here. It is best to teach our children to sing or chant the verses of God. I believe that this Hidden Word is also available in song form on the World Congress CD as sung by the Gospel singers.