Sally Lloyd-Jones - The Story of Gods Love for You

ALSO BY SALLY LLOYD-JONES

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name

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Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story

Bunnys First Spring

Just Because Youre Mine

The Ultimate Guide to Grandmas and Grandpas

Babys Hug-A-Bible

ZONDERVAN

The Story of Gods Love for You

Copyright 2015 by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Originally published as The Jesus Storybook Bible,

copyright 2007 by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ePub Edition August 2015: ISBN 978-0-310-73604-2

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: Brooke Reynolds

Interior illustration: Jago

Theological reviewer: Kathy Keller

Interior design: Brooke Reynolds, Richmond & Williams

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 /DCI/ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

DEDICATION

For Harry, Olivia, Emily, Eleanor and Jonathan Because the Fairy Tale really does come true!

SLJ

contents

INTRODUCTION FROM PSALM 19 AND HEBREWS 1

The Heavens are singing

about how great God is;

and the skies are shouting it out,

See what God has made!

Day after day... Night after night...

They are speaking to us.

PSALM 19:1 2 (PARAPHRASE)

GOD WROTE, I LOVE YOU HE WROTE IT IN the sky, and on the earth, and under the sea. He wrote his message everywhere! Because God created everything in his world to reflect him like a mirror to show us what he is like, to help us know him, to make our hearts sing.

The way a kitten chases her tail. The way red poppies grow wild. The way a dolphin swims.

And God put it into words, too, and wrote it in a book called the Bible.

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldnt do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isnt mainly about you and what you should be doing. Its about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as youll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible arent heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isnt a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. Its an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. Its a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne everything to rescue the one he loves. Its like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this Story is its true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.

And this is no ordinary baby. This is the Child upon whom everything would depend. This is the Child who would one day but wait. Our Story starts where all good stories start. Right at the very beginning...

THE SONG OF CREATION, FROM GENESIS 1 2

IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS NOTHING.

Nothing to hear. Nothing to feel. Nothing to see.

Only emptiness. And darkness. And... nothing but nothing.

But God was there. And God had a wonderful Plan.

Ill take this emptiness, God said, and Ill fill it up! Out of the darkness, Im going to make light! And out of the nothing, Im going to make... EVERYTHING!

Like a mother bird flutters her wings over her eggs to help her babies hatch, God hovered over the deep, silent darkness. He was making life happen.

God spoke. Thats all. And whatever he said, it happened.

God said, Hello light! and light shone into the darkness. God called the light, Day and the darkness, Night. Youre good, God said. And they were.

Then God said, Hello sea! Hello sky! and a great space opened up, wide and deep and high. Youre good, God said. And they were.

Then God said, Hello land! and there splashing up through the oceans came cliffs, mountains, sandy beaches. Youre good, God said. And they were.

Hello trees! God said. Hello grass and flowers! And everything everywhere burst into life. He made buds bud; shoots shoot; flowers flower. Youre good, God said. And they were.

Hello stars! God said. Hello sun! Hello moon! And whizzing into the darkness came fiery globes, spinning around and around whirling orange and purple and golden planets. Youre good, God said. And they were.

Hello birds! God said. And with a fluttering and flapping and chirping and singing, birds filled the skies. Hello fish! God said. And with a darting and dashing and wriggling and splashing, fish filled the seas! Youre good, God said. And they were.

Then God said, Hello animals! And everyone came out to play. The earth was filled with noisy noises growling and gobbling and snapping and snorting and happy skerfuffling. Youre good, God said. And they were.

God saw all that he had made and he loved them. And they were lovely because he loved them.

But God saved the best for last. From the beginning, God had a shining dream in his heart. He would make people to share his Forever Happiness. They would be his children, and the world would be their perfect home.

So God breathed life into Adam and Eve.

When they opened their eyes, the first thing they ever saw was Gods face.

And when God saw them he was like a new dad. You look like me, he said. Youre the most beautiful thing Ive ever made!

God loved them with all of his heart. And they were lovely because he loved them.

And Adam and Eve joined in the song of the stars and the streams and the wind in the trees, the wonderful song of love to the one who made them. Their hearts were filled with happiness. And nothing ever made them sad or lonely or sick or afraid.

God looked at everything he had made. Perfect! he said. And it was.