Who or What is God?

The Bible tells us:

1 John 4:8 – God is Love

God is a good God who is kind and loving and concerned about all of His children in every nation! He is a loving Heavenly Father Who loves you as His own dear child!

Jesus said:

John 4:24 – God is Spirit.

He is not a mere person in the sense that you and I are, for He and His Spirit surpass the entire universe!

God is omnipresent—everywhere; omnipotent—all-powerful; and omniscient—all-knowing!

God created this beautiful world as a home for you to live in and enjoy. His entire creation is a constant testimony of not only His existence, power and majesty, but also of His love, concern, and care for us in giving us a beautiful world to live in!

God is the great basic Power and Guiding Light of the Universe, the Almighty Creator, the Great Spirit of Love Who has brought all things into being because He loves us!

Who is Jesus?

The Bible tells us, "God is Spirit" and "God is love." He is the great Spirit of Love who created you and me, this beautiful world, and the entire universe. Then, to show us His love and to help us understand Him, He sent us His Son, Jesus Christ, in the form of a man.

Jesus went about everywhere doing good. — Helping people, loving children, healing heartaches, strengthening tired bodies, and bringing God's Love to all whom He could.

Some of the religious leaders called Pharisees became jealous. They falsely accused Jesus and conspired, successfully, to force the governor to order Jesus’ execution.

Jesus didn't have to die on the cross, but He chose to die. — For you and me!

All of us at times have done wrong and our mistakes and sins separate us from God, Who is perfect. In order to bring us to God, Jesus, the Son of God, took the punishment for our sins, that through His sacrifice, we can be forgiven and saved.

But even His death did not satisfy His jealous enemies. To ensure that His followers couldn't steal His body and claim He'd come back to life, they placed a huge stone over the entrance of His tomb and posted a group of Roman soldiers there to guard it.

This was a scheme that proved futile, however, as three days after His lifeless body was laid to rest in that cold tomb, Jesus rose from the dead, the victor over death and Hell forever!

Though many great teachers have spoken and taught about love and God, Jesus is the only one who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead.

If you haven't yet met Jesus or received His forgiveness and gift of eternal life, you can right now by praying the following:

Thank You, Jesus, for paying the price for my mistakes and wrongs, so I can be forgiven. I ask You now, dear Jesus, to please come into my heart, forgive me, and give me Your gift of eternal life. Amen.

What is Salvation?

Salvation is a gift. All you have to do is receive Jesus into your heart. He’s there, waiting to come in. If you haven’t yet done so, you can right now by praying a simple prayer like the following:

Dear Jesus, I now open my heart and I ask You to come into my life. Please fill me to overflowing with Your love. Amen.

Salvation is not a reward. It’s not payment for anything good you may have done or anything bad you may have not done. It is a gift that you don’t earn and can’t earn by any kind of works of your own.

You don’t need to worry about whether or not you are going to lose your salvation or how you are going to manage to stay saved, because once you’ve received Jesus as your Savior, you are saved! You have eternal life right now, and you can’t lose it.

Even though you’re not perfect and you’re bound to make mistakes, God is going to save you anyway. Salvation is forever. He’s already given it to you, and He’s not going to take it back. It’s yours! Jesus says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Shortly before His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus promised His disciples that He would send them a Comforter or Helper, the Holy Spirit, to strengthen, empower, lead, and guide them.

Everybody who is saved has a measure of the Holy Spirit, like having a little bit of water in the bottom of a glass, but being filled with the Holy Spirit is like filling the glass to running over.

God is the very Spirit of love itself, so when He fills you with His Holy Spirit, your heart overflows with love—love for Him and love for others.

We’re not just filled with the Holy Spirit once, but we’re refilled every day as we read the Word and ask Him for more love. The more of His love we receive from Him, the more our hearts are filled to running over, till we aren’t able to contain it. Then as we overflow on others, they also are filled with His love

Have you received the full power of God’s Spirit? If not, you can right now. You just have to ask for and receive it by praying a simple prayer like the following:

Dear Jesus, I know that I need more of Your love and power in my life, so please fill me with Your Holy Spirit right now. Amen.

What is the Bible?

The Bible is the most marvelous book in the world. It not only tells us where we’re going, but also how we got here, why we’re here, how to survive and be happy while here, and how to have love, happiness, joy, and peace forever.

Best of all, the Bible can bring you into an exciting, loving, personal relationship with its author—the God of love, the creator of the universe.

The Bible consists of two major parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Bible contains 66 books which were written by about 40 different people who were inspired by God.

The books of the Bible were written during a 1,500-year period. That 1,500-year period began with Moses about 3,400 years ago and ended with the book of Revelation about 1900 years ago.

The Old Testament has many prophecies about a Messiah or Anointed One, who would be a “son” who would be called “Mighty God,” or “Eternal Father.” These prophecies were written hundreds of years before Jesus Christ was born.

The New Testament contains the sacred writings of the early Christian period.

- The first four books are the Gospels, and these are four separate accounts of the life of Jesus.

- Next is the book of the Acts of the Apostles that tells the story of the early Christians after Jesus’ ascension to Heaven.

- Most of the remaining books are epistles, or letters, written by the early Christian leaders to individuals or groups of followers.

- The final book is Revelation, a prophetic vision of the future.

The Bible is one book you shouldn’t necessarily start reading for the first time at page one. The gospel of John is perhaps the best to read first, as you will find that it is one of the easiest to understand, contains the most words of Jesus, and outlines His loving plan for your life.

What is Prayer?

Prayer is simply communicating with Jesus, just like you would talk to a good friend.

Just tell Jesus what’s on your mind. He loves to listen to you. He’ll either solve the problems that you face, or give you the strength to make it through them.

You don’t have to follow any routine for Him to hear you. Prayer doesn’t depend on the position of your body, but the position of your heart.

Jesus came to save us for eternity, and He also came to be our companion through life. You can picture Jesus as a constant Companion Who is always beside you and to Whom you can go for counsel and comfort.

Jesus Talks to Me

Jesus wants to answer our questions, help solve our problems, encourage us when we feel down, and share our victories and joys. Most of all, He wants to help us understand and experience His love in a very real and personal way.

God speaks in a number of ways. As you read the Bible, He will often cause a particular passage to stand out to you and show you how it applies to your situation or how it answers a question you may have. He may speak to you through dreams or visions. He may speak through godly counselors.

God is also able to speak to you directly. He speaks in our minds at those times when we get quiet, clear our minds of other busy thoughts, ask Him to speak, and then wait for an answer. Sometimes He may not even use words; He may just give you an impression or inner conviction, a sort of intuitive knowledge about a situation.

You can go to Jesus and receive specific instruction, encouragement, and the answers you need, tailor-made for your individual situation. As He speaks to you, you’ll see how much He can relate to you and you’ll realize more than ever what a close and caring friend He is.

If you haven’t learned to let Jesus speak to you, ask Him to teach you. He wants to and He will. It’s a gift that is yours for the asking. Then once He has given you the gift, put it to good use by giving Him many opportunities to speak to you.

What is Faith?

What is faith? It is simply believing God.

Abraham had faith. When God told him to go, he went—without even knowing exactly where. Moses had faith. He left Egypt at God’s command, not knowing where he might end up. Rahab had faith; she protected the Israelite spies and was in turn protected when God brought the walls of Jericho down all around her.

God has unlimited power, but to tap in to that power you need a conduit, a line. Faith is like a cord that carries God’s power from the source to the appliance.

Another definition of faith is “confidence or trust in another’s ability.” Faith is knowing that we ourselves are incapable, but still doing what God asks of us because we trust in his ability to work through us. Jesus says, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)‘“

How do we increase our faith? The Bible tells us that “faith comes by hearing … the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

No matter who we are, God speaks our language. He communicates in words that we can understand. Whether through the Bible, other inspired writings, or in a still small voice during our own quiet times with Him, we can get the message.

Dear God, my faith is sometimes weak, but You are the solid foundation upon which I can put my trust.

What is Praise?

"Praise" means "grateful respect or reverence." Praise is a celebration of God's goodness and grace.

The Bible tells us that all of creation praises God, and that it's because He deserves to be praised.

Praise benefits us too. It propels us into God's loving presence, strengthens our relationship with Him and strengthens us spiritually. As we focus our thoughts on God and praise Him for His goodness, He renews our spirits, increases our faith, and fills us with peace and contentment.

Praising God when we least feel like it is difficult, but it's at these very times when our praises are most needed and can have the greatest effect.

Silently in your heart or out loud, talk to God. Pray, sing, shout, even jump for joy—whatever you feel like doing to express gratitude. If you don't know what to praise God for, here are some ideas to get you started:

•  Praise God for His grace.

•  Praise Him for His goodness.

•  Praise Him for His kindness.

•  Praise Him for salvation.

Ambassadors of Love

Through His children, God is trying to show the world what He is like. Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)

Jesus came to love the world, and He calls us to do likewise in every facet of life. The only way that others will ever find His joy and peace and love and happiness and heaven is through us.

You can start planting seeds, one by one, in heart after heart, day by day, by doing loving deeds for others and telling them about Jesus. Even the little things you do can mean a lot. The light of your smile,

the kindness of your face, can shed light on many and have an amazing effect.

As Christians, we are ambassadors of God's love to others; the kindness we show conveys God's love and care, and helps draw and win them to Him.

Created by www.freekidstories.org

Text courtesy of Activated magazine. Used by permission.

Image Credits:

Cover: © TFI.

Page 6: By Didier Martin

Page 17: © TFI.

All other art © Aurora Productions. Used by permission.