Once there was nothing in this world.
No fish.
No stars in the sky.
No seas and pretty flowers.
All was empty and dark.
But there was God.
God had a wonderful plan. He thought of a lovely world, and while He thought, He made it. He made it all out of nothing. When God made anything, He just said, “Let it be made,” and there it was!
He made light. He made the rivers and seas, the grass-covered earth, the animals, birds, and trees.
Last of all, He made a man, and then He made a wife for the man. Their names were Adam and Eve.
God loved them very dearly. Every evening He visited them in the lovely garden they lived in.
The whole garden was theirs to enjoy, except for one tree, which was God’s forbidden tree.
Adam and Eve were happy until one day Satan, the enemy of God, tempted them. They decided to taste the fruit of God’s forbidden tree. They sinned. For the first time they were ashamed and sad.
No longer could they talk to God. Now they would have pain and trouble. And they would have to die. How sorry they were!
God promised to help them. When the right time would come, He would send his Son Jesus into the world. Jesus would come down from heaven and make a way for sin to be forgiven. To do this He would suffer and die for mankind. How glad they were that God would send a Savior!
Adam and Eve had children and grandchildren. By and by there were many people living in the world.
God wanted everyone to be happy. He told them what to do. Here is a list of rules God gave them (Exodus 20:3-17):
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
These were written in the Bible so we can read them, too. If we obey them, we will be happy.
Satan does not want us to obey them. Sometimes he tells us to steal something when no one is looking. But God knows it. God sees everything.
Sometimes Satan tempts us to tell a lie and makes us think no one will find it out. God knows it. He hears everything.
When we do these things, we feel bad inside. God loves us and wants to help us to be good. That’s why He sent Jesus into the world. God remembered his promise. After many years, Jesus was born as a little baby. He grew up and became a man.
He did many wonderful things. He healed the sick. He made the blind to see. He blessed the children.
Jesus never did anything wrong. He told the people about God and how to obey Him.
After a while the enemies of Jesus nailed Him to a cross. He died.
He suffered and died for the sins of all the people, even those who nailed Him to the cross.
Jesus was buried. But then a wonderful thing happened. He did not stay in the grave. He arose from the dead!
Soon God took Him back to heaven in a cloud. While his friends were watching Him leave, an angel told them Jesus would come back again.
Jesus died for our sins, too. He wants us to be sorry and confess our sins. He is ready to forgive us.
We can pray to God anytime. He hears every word and knows every thought. He makes us feel happy inside when our sins are forgiven. Then we want to do what is right. Then we want to be kind.
We may choose to disobey God and follow Satan. But God’s word says that if we reject Him in this life, He will cast us down to hell. Hell is a place of fire that burns forever.
But if we love and obey Jesus, He will take us up to heaven when He returns. Heaven is the beautiful home of God and his Son Jesus. It is a home of love and light. There we will always be happy.