And, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’ (Deut. 6:4–5). This is the chief commandment.
This commandment reveals the whole duty of a person before God. The heart, soul, mind, and strength encompass the entire being of a person—his desires, life, thinking, and deeds. God requires not outward religious behavior, but wholehearted love. This love is not limited to emotion, but is expressed through faithfulness, obedience, worship, and readiness to do the will of God. This is the first commandment, because without love toward God no other virtue can have a proper foundation. The human soul was created to love God, and when that love is damaged, life moves out of its proper course.