One of tha teachers of the law asked tha Son, “Of all the commandments which is the most important?”

Tha Son answered, “The most important is this: ‘The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ There is no commandment greater than this.”

“Come ter me,” tha Son be saying. “Come ter my father.” Not, “Do this or that, behave this way or not.” Simply come ter Skipper—that be tha greatest command thar be.

• Love our Lord with all yer heart. Be faithful ter him only. Ne’er ferget that Skipper be right jealous when it comes ter love and loyalty ter him.
• Love our Lord with all yer soul. Yer soul be tha only thing ya kin take out of this world. When ya give it wholly ter Skipper, ya kin be sure he ‘ill take care of it fer all eternity.
• Love our Lord with all yer mind. Renew yer noggin by tha reading of Skip’s words. When we take Skip’s words in ter our thoughts and make ’em part of who we be, we ‘ill be able ter test and approve what Skip’s will be—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Do that and ya ‘ill learn ter know Skipper’s path fer ya, which be good and pleasing and perfect.
• Love our Lord with all yer strength. As ya well know, strength doth not come from sitting ’round watching waves roll under tha hull. No, ter get strength we ‘ave ter put in a full day’s work. We ‘ave ter sweat, struggle, stumble, tumble, pick ourselves up, and push on. Strength be tha child of perseverance and pain. A lazy lubber gots no business aboard a vessel, and tha same kin be said fer a lazy lover of Skip. Show up. Work out. Give yer all fer Skip at all times.

It might seem like tha Son give us an easy charge, but think on this a wee little bit: Tha Son knowed that not long after he said this some soldiers would come and arrest him. They would beat him, flog him, and torture him ’till he died. Through it all, he loved his pop, Skipper, ter tha end.

That be our charge. Ter love Skip like that be both a high calling and honor. Make it yer task ter love Skipper like his Son loves him. If ya do, ya ‘ill find tha things of this world seem puny in comparison.