People will say they Love God. Yet, they won't spend time with Him. Is that really Love?
How does someone spend time with God?....Pray.
Without daily prayer, it is impossible to know God.
God desires us to love and trust in Him...to never worry and simply trust.
How can someone trust in God? Through grace.
What is grace? God's gifts (peace, patience, kindness, joy, etc.) basically everything a human soul really wants.
People tend to look for pleasure not from God's rewards (grace), but rather from earthly goods and rewards from man. Yet, man's love is broken because of sin. So seeking man's love isn't going to give you the true love that God can give you. It is good to give love and want to share your life and to love oneanother, but don't seek the love...just give it! Seek God's love only and He will fill you with all the love you need since God is always faithful. Seeking joy from a new car, or purse or dinner, can only led to temporary satisfaction...then reality sets in because only God delivers true joy. So truly seek God above all, and to know where to find God you need to pray for guidance. Then God will enlighten you through His Holy Word and your faithful prayers. Start praying slowly...someone who jumps before they can walk will fall. You need to build a good prayer foundation before you can run to God with prayer, and be patient. Your wonderful relationship with God is right around the corner...just patiently wait for the grace...it is coming, and never quit praying and praying.
Many are seeking to escape from reality because it is so painful, stressful, and exhausting through drugs, alcohol, sex, tv, shopping, etc. these behaviors are a direct result of a lack of a developed relationship with God. Those who know God well, know the aforementioned are poor substitutes (band-aids) for the wounds of life. God can cure these wounds and prayer can deliver (through God's grace) true peace and put a true and lasting end to the pain, stresses and exhaustion of life. PRAYER the greatest stress reducer of all!
Once someone finds God and develops a prayer relationship with Him. Then they can continue to grow and grow closer to Our Lord. However, if someone finds himself stagnate and not growing towards our Lord then he can assume something is wrong, and it would benefit him to carefully examine his relationship with God, and look honestly at his choices to see if he is truly trusting and living the word. Since God is always drawing us near and near to Him, you should be increasing and improving your relationship with Him.
Really there is only one thing someone must do to achieve great holiness:
- Live the Word
- That might sound a little cliche, but it is totally true. God's holy word has everything anyone needs to achieve sanctification (deserving of Heaven upon death). So read the word and live ALL of it.
Main points in the Bible
Love - God is love and we are called to love as Jesus has loved us.
Pray - prayer needs to be done as described in the Bible. The Bible says to pray unceasingly (constantly) 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Yes, that is virtually impossible, but with God nothing is impossible. The great saints, pray almost constantly and focus all their actions towards God. Constant prayer makes ones works united with God and great fruit (deeds) will be produced as a result. Of course unceasing prayer, is at the peak of ones spiritual life, but that should be our goal and to grow and grow towards that goal with the help of Our Lord's grace because it is only by grace that such a relationship could be possible.
Trust - trusting God in all events. I mean a true trust. . The kind of trust that never dispares (becomes upset/worries) in any circumstance since you trust God completely, and to truly know and believe all events in life whether good - bad, joyful - tragic are allowed by God for our salvation and are good.
Live the Word - living the word...not simply reading the word. Accepting ALL of Gods words and truly fulfilling all of them to the best of your ability. A dying to one's self (wanting nothing - just to know, love and serve God - that kind of life) The most joyful kind of life.