ŸOur Function

Ÿ To love the Lord our God first with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our strength; and to love our neighbor as our self.

We are commanded to love our God above all others. He is to be the center of our lives, with maximum energy of mind, heart, and strength given to obeying Him. The first portion of our function reminds us of our responsibility to our God; the second reminds us of our responsibility to others. If the action to love is not from the heart, then the behavior will be pretentious, fraudulent, and self-righteous. Our Lord’s statements of priority made in the gospels (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-37) are from the Law (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). The reference is to the teaching of the Law in the family. Worship begins in the family. Worship is a way of life, so teaching obedience occurs anywhere, anytime. And the place where believing people live becomes the first place where they worship as they live together.