To believe in God means living according to His Word
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV).
If you believe this, you will be at rest. Believing this, does not mean that you feel it or that you understand it. Having faith means that you build your life on God’s Word; you live your life according to God’s Word and trust that God, who has said it, guides everything and rewards those who believe in Him.
To believe in God means pleasing Him alone
“Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ. Do this not only when they are watching you, because you want to get their approval; but with all your heart do what God wants, as slaves of Christ …” Ephesians 6:5-8 (GNT).
To believe in God is to live your life according to this Word. If you want to please people you are never at rest, but if you believe that God rewards those who seek Him, you will be at rest. “Remember that the Lord will reward each of us, whether slave or free, for the good work we do …” Ephesians 6:8 (GNT). In other words, if people like or don’t like what we do, it doesn’t matter. For if we do good, the Lord will reward us. That should be enough for us who believe in God.
To believe in God means doing what He wants even when no one can see us
"Therefore, don't be afraid of those people because nothing is hidden that won't be revealed, and nothing secret that won't be brought out into the open.” Matthew 10:26 (CEB).
“We who believe, then, do receive that rest which God promised.” Hebrews 4:3 (GNT). If you really believe in God, really believe that God exists, and believe that nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, then it is not difficult to stay far away from evil and do what is good, even when no one sees you.
Live before God’s face! That is the same as doing what He wants even when no one sees you. Demand nothing and expect nothing from people. If you do, you will only be disappointed, and it will lead to conflict. Live for God, and “don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT).
This is God’s Word. Having faith means you live according to God’s Word by believing that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. If you come out of love and find fault with your fellow men, it is because you don’t really believe this.
Most people’s love grows cold when they experience a lot of unrighteousness from others. (Matthew 24:12.) Then they no longer really believe that God rewards those that seek Him. They no longer believe that all things work together for good to those who seek God or that everyone will be rewarded for the good he has done. Only if you keep believing that God exists and rewards you, can you continue to love. And we cannot be ready for Jesus’ return if we don’t remain in love.
The troubles experienced in this life are short and light for those who believe. They bring us an eternal glory that is worth so much that the troubles we might go through are not even worth mentioning. (2 Corinthians 4:17.) When this is how we believe, then we will be ready when Jesus returns to fetch those who truly believe in God.