The Old Testament God Created . . . Everything! Day and Night, Earth and Seas
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Sun and Moon, Birds and Beasts
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Adam and Eve
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The First Sin
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Noah and God’s Rainbow Promise
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The Tower of Babel
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Father Abraham God’s Instructions, God’s Promises
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Just as God Had Promised
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Esau’s Stolen Blessing
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Jacob’s Ladder
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Joseph: Servant, Leader, Hero From Favorite Son to Foreign Slave
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Pharaoh’s Dreams
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Joseph Forgives
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God’s Job for Moses Baby Moses
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The Burning Bush
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Asking to Leave Egypt
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Crossing the Red Sea—on Dry Land!
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The Ten Commandments
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The Spies and Rahab of Jericho Rahab’s Help
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Jericho’s Crumbling Walls
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God Guides Through Deborah
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Gideon’s Big Victory
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Strong Samson
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Ruth, the Loyal Daughter-in-Law Staying with Naomi
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Boaz, Ruth, and Baby Obed
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The Desire of Hannah’s Heart
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Samuel’s “Here I Am, God!”
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Brave and Loving David David and the Giant
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David and Jonathan’s Friendship
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David and the Psalms
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The Wise King Solomon
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Elijah and the Fire from God
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Jonah and the Whale
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Isaiah Speaks of a Savior
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Josiah, the Boy King
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Daniel in the Lions’ Den
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Esther’s Special Job
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The New Testament Surprising News for Zacharias
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The Angel’s Message for Mary
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Baby Jesus Is Born!
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A Surprise for Some Shepherds
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A Visit from the Wise Men
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Boy Jesus in the Temple
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Jesus Is Baptized
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Calling His Disciples
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Sermon on the Mount
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Zacchaeus: A Wee Little Man
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No Worries!
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Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant
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Feeding Five Thousand
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Walking on Water
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Jesus’ Story of the Prodigal Son
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A Blessing for the Children
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The Widow’s Coins
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Entering Jerusalem
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The Last Supper
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Praying in the Garden
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Jesus Is Arrested
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Before Pilate
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The Death of Jesus
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Jesus Is Alive!
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Jesus Returns to Heaven
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The Gift of the Holy Spirit
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Peter and John Perform a Miracle
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Stephen’s Faith
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Philip’s Conversation with the Traveler
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Saul Becomes a Believer
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The Angel’s Assignment for Peter
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Godly and Gracious Lydia
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Paul and Silas in Prison
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Shipwreck!
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Paul’s Letters from Prison
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John’s Message to the Churches
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Someday . . . Heaven!
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A Prayer from Billy Graham
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Dear Reader, As a boy my idea of the ocean was so small that the first time I saw the Atlantic I couldn’t comprehend that any little lake could be so big! The vastness of the ocean cannot be understood until it is seen. This is the same with God’s love. It passes knowledge. Until you actually experience it, no one can describe its wonders to you. In your hands you hold stories—amazing stories—from the Bible, the Word of God. These are not stories someone made up; they actually happened! They tell about real people and real events. Those who witnessed what happened wrote it down so people like you and me could know all about it. It’s clear: God wants you to know these stories. Why? These stories will help you understand God’s good news—the news that God has a plan for your life, that God loves you, and that He is a God of mercy. He will forgive you, lead you, and bless you if you confess and turn away from your sins and trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. These stories will point you to the most important event in history: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). This is the greatest news in the universe! They will also show you God’s wonderful way of living—loving Him and loving others. He wants to show you who He is and help you be like Him. And this can happen because God doesn’t leave you to do it alone! He wants to be with you every step of the way, guiding and helping you, because He loves you and wants what is best for you.
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My prayer for you as you read this book is that God will use it to help you begin a new journey with Him—the greatest, most exciting journey you could ever experience. As we’ll see from the people in these stories, it isn’t always an easy journey. But even in the midst of problems and troubles, you can have strength and joy when God is with you. Most of all, it is a journey of hope, because it leads us to heaven. No matter how young you are, I invite you to explore this journey for yourself. May God bless you as you read this book and teach you through its pages how you, along with so many believers before you, can live out God’s good news—following Him every day, and receiving His love and passing it on to others.
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The Old
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Testament 6/1/18 12:20 PM
God Created . . . Everything! Day and Night, Earth and Seas Selected Scripture from Genesis 1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. God made the firmament and divided the waters under the firmament from the waters above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. Then God said, “Let the waters be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit”; and it was so. So the evening and the morning were the third day.
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From Billy Grhm Look again at that first sentence in the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Can you even imagine the power it took to create the billions of stars we are still discovering with telescopes? Can you even begin to understand the wisdom it took to give order to the whole creation—from the smallest particle to the swirling galaxies of outer space? With God nothing is impossible. No task is too tough, no problem is too difficult for the Creator of the universe. Don’t ever underestimate God’s power.
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Sun and Moon, Birds and Beasts Selected Scripture from Genesis 1
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.” Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Then God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, and every winged bird. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth”; and it was so. And God saw that it was good.
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Adam and Eve Selected Scripture from Genesis 1–2
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. And on the seventh day God ended His work, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work.
From Billy Grhm Do you know why God made you? It is the greatest discovery you will ever make: you were created to know God and to be His friend forever. We were not made for ourselves; we were made for God. We are not here by accident; we are here because God put us here—and He put us here so we could know Him and love Him. God wants you to be His friend!
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