New Church Life September/October 2015 | Page 66

new church life: september/october 2015 acknowledgement and worship. Without this effort all other forms of worship would be mere lip service to Him and thus not worship at all. All worship would indeed be hollow if we were not paying attention to following Him in our daily lives. The Lord’s favorite love language is clearly useful service. Through this we are living according to His commandments, which is true acknowledgement of Him. Conclusion The concept of love languages brings attention to the differences in how individuals perceive love that is being expressed toward another, and this concept applies to the Lord as well. While expressing words of affirmation in the form of acknowledging His divinity is a necessary part of our process of building a relationship with Him this is not His preferred love language. The languages of gifts and quality time can represent engaging in external worship with the eventual development of a state of worship, but this external worship is hollow without use. Touch, which is opening up to His influx, also fosters our relationship to Him but again this is not His most preferred love language. The Lord’s favorite love language is clearly useful service. Through this we are living according to His commandments, which is true acknowledgement of Him. As is written in True Christian Religion 522, “He who lives well and believes rightly is saved by Him.” Focusing on acknowledging Him and living a life according to His commandments will allow us to grow closer to the Lord, and we eventually then attain, through the Lord’s doing, the constant states of worship. The development of this relationship with the Lord is beautifully and succinctly described here: But, my friend, abstain from evil, and do what is good, and believe in the Lord with your whole heart and your whole soul; and the Lord will love you and give you love for what you do and faith in what you believe. Then you will do what is good 498