Question
Gramps,
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. What does this mean exactly?
Kerry
Answer
Kerry,
One of the most repeated commandments in scripture is also one of the most personal:
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)
Jesus later called this the “first and great commandment” in Matthew 22:37-38. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this verse is much more than a poetic phrase. It is a description of discipleship itself. But what does it actually mean to love God with all our heart, soul, and might?
LDS theology teaches that this commandment is not about perfection overnight. It is about devotion, covenant loyalty, and gradually giving our entire lives to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
The “heart” in scripture usually refers to our desires, affections, and priorities. Loving God with all our hearts means He becomes the center of our lives rather than an afterthought.
President Ezra Taft Benson taught:
“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.” (The Great Commandment—Love the Lord)
That statement captures the idea perfectly. Loving God with our hearts means our relationship with Him shapes every other relationship and decision. It influences how we spend our time, how we treat family members, what we choose to watch, how we speak to people, and even what we think about when nobody else is around.
This does not mean faithful people never struggle spiritually. Even devoted disciples have doubts, moments of weakness, or periods where they feel distant from God. In LDS belief, loving God is shown less through flawless performance and more through continual turning toward Him.
The Savior Himself said:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
In other words, love is not merely emotional. It is active. It is demonstrated through obedience, repentance, worship, and covenant keeping.
The word “soul” carries deep meaning in LDS theology. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:15, we learn:
“A the spirit and the body are the soul of man.”
So loving God with all our souls means offering our entire being—both spiritually and physically—to Him.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once taught:
“The great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying, even if we don’t always succeed.” (Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders among You)
That perspective matters because loving God with all our souls does not mean never failing. It means our whole selves are pointed toward Christ, even as we continue to grow.
This kind of love affects both spiritual and temporal aspects of life. It includes:
- Prayer
- Scripture study
- Temple worship
- Serving others
- Repentance
- Developing Christlike attributes
- Caring for our physical bodies
- Using talents to bless others
LDS theology teaches that discipleship is holistic. God cares about our spiritual lives, but He also cares about what we are becoming as eternal beings.
President Russell M. Nelson explained:
“If we do the best we can, the Lord will bless us according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts.” (Perfection Pending)
That short statement resonates with many Latter-day Saints because it reminds us that wholehearted devotion matters deeply to God. He is not waiting for us to become instantly perfect before accepting our love.
The word “might” suggests strength, energy, and action. Loving God with all our might means giving Him our best efforts, not leftovers.
This can include obvious things like serving in Church callings, ministering, missionary work, or helping those in need. But it also applies to daily life: showing patience with children, working honestly, defending truth kindly, or choosing integrity when nobody is watching.
Elder David A. Bednar taught:
“True devotion to God is motivated by love and gratitude rather than fear or obligation alone.” (paraphrased)
That distinction is important. In LDS theology, loving God with all our might is not about exhausting ourselves trying to earn heaven. Salvation comes only through the grace of Jesus Christ. Rather, our efforts are a response to His love and sacrifice.
When someone truly loves God, they naturally want to serve Him.
One word appears repeatedly in this commandment: all.
God does not ask for part of our heart on Sundays and the rest during the week for worldly priorities. He invites complete devotion. That can sound intimidating at first, but LDS doctrine emphasizes that this process happens gradually through the Savior’s help.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:
“God does not look on the outward appearance.” (The Hope of God’s Light)
The Lord understands our weaknesses perfectly. He knows when we are sincerely trying to follow Him, even when we stumble.
This commandment is therefore less about achieving spiritual intensity every moment of every day and more about the direction of our lives. Are we moving toward God? Are we allowing Him to shape us? Are we willing to place Him first?
That is what covenant discipleship looks like.
Interestingly, Jesus connected loving God directly to loving people. After naming the first great commandment, He immediately added:
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39)
According to LDS theology, these commandments cannot really be separated. The more we love God, the more we begin to see others the way He sees them.
President Thomas S. Monson often emphasized simple Christlike service. He famously taught:
“Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.” (Finding Joy in the Journey)
That kind of charity flows naturally from genuine love for God.
So what does it mean to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and might?
In LDS theology, it means giving Him our desires, our devotion, our energy, our loyalty, and ultimately our entire lives. It means striving to place Him first while relying completely on the grace of Jesus Christ.
It does not require instant perfection. It does require sincerity.
As disciples of Christ grow in faith, repentance, covenant keeping, and service, their love for God deepens. Over time, loving God becomes less about obligation and more about transformation. The heart changes. The soul changes. Life itself changes.
And perhaps that is the real purpose of the commandment—not simply to measure our love for God, but to help us become more like Him.
Gramps
