Believing in God: What Does It Really Mean and Involve?

Do you believe in Jehovah God Almighty?

If you answered "Yes," your answer would match about half of the human population, because Christians, Muslims, and Jews, all believe in the same God, Jehovah (though Muslims use the name Allah for God).

While I do not doubt the depth or strength of their belief, I do have to wonder: if so many people believe in God, why do we experience so many man made problems in life? If we believe in God, that means that we should know His principles for living in a good way, so we ought to be able to live well, right? Apparently, believing in God is not enough; or perhaps, we are not grasping what belief actually is.

What does believing in God mean? Many would say that it is accepting that God exists and that He is the Creator of everything. Period.

If that is the case, then let us put Satan under the spotlight. Do you not agree with me that he is a believer of God? He was an angel living in heaven who regularly spoke with God! So he is not only a believer, as any of us are who have never seen or spoken with God, he is a spirit who witnessed God in person, face to face.

Why is Satan still so evil when he believes in God?

So believing in God must mean much more than simply accepting of His existence and creation. How much more? Exactly, what should believing in God really mean?

When people tell me, "I believe in God," I often ask myself, "But do they love God?"

Yes, it all lies in love—loving God. This is why Satan has chosen to be evil even though he believes in God; Satan does not love God—he loves himself so much more, and that has driven him to do evil and to spread evil to others.

Truly believing in God means we must love God.

Remember the most important commandment as put by Jesus Christ? He said that we should love God with all our heart, mind, and strength: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31, American Standard Version)

How should we show God we love Him?

How should we show our parents we love them? How do we show people we love them? Is it to make them happy? And how do we make them happy? We make them happy by doing what they like, what they approve of. By doing so, we can show our love for them.

Therefore, we must show our love for God by doing what He wants from us. And we must love Jesus in the same way.

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:3)

What does God want from us? Why does it matter to Him?

When you were growing up, your parents or guardians must have given you a set of Do's and Dont's. But what does it matter to them whether you follow their rules? Because following their rules are for your own good. That is why laws are made, to give order to everyone and to protect everyone's interest.

Think about it: God is not depended upon us one bit! After all, He created us, and what can we do for Him? Not much—not for His survival, certainly.

Jehovah wants us to follow His guidance for our own good, not really for His own good (but it does make Him very happy—He is happy when His creations are happy), and by following his guidance, it shows love for not only Him but for ourselves as well.

Being our Creator, Jehovah knows what is best for us, so when we listen and accept His kind rulership, we will be blessed beyond boundaries.

Having faith, therefore, is really loving God and His Son. This is what exercising faith in God is all about—it's all about love!

What positive effects will come out from loving God?

When you love someone, what they do, what they say, even the places they visit and their own belongings, become more interesting and significant to you. Worshipping the ground they walk on would no longer seem so farfetched. To a parent, their child's drawing is much more precious than any famous masterpiece. To a lover's ears, the very name of the one they love is musical. You would more likely take the advice from someone you trust than that from a stranger. A simple gift from a friend is more valuable than an expensive present given by your least favorite person.

I remember the pretty doll my mother gave to me for my fourth birthday when we were in China. I loved it dearly. It was so much more special because it was from my mother's heart. The gift, even if bedecked with real gold and silver, would not mean much to me if it was from someone else.

So how you feel about someone will reflect in your feelings for what the person does, says, or gives.

When you love God, you in turn will love all of His creations, from the wonderful blue and green planet we call home to our fellow human beings. Therefore, love in Jehovah unites us.

Yet, sadly, religion has been one of our major dividers. How come? It is because instead of letting love govern our thoughts and actions, we let manmade devices rule over us. People have been abusing religion and using God's name as excuses to commit horrifying acts, such as raging wars and terrifying other
countries. The harmful manmade religious laws create boundaries between people so thick and impenetrable that some people cringe at the mere thought of religion.

How can we break down this wall? Add love to your daily living and it will tear it down into heaps at your feet! True believers of God show love among one another and will never rage wars against their brothers and sisters—this is how you tell a true believer from false believers.

Jesus said: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:34-35, American Standard Version)

So next time, if people ask you, "How should you believe in God?" Give them this answer:

"Love God by loving one another."

"My Little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth." (1 John 3:18)

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:7-8)

To love and accept life is to love and accept God!