Kathryn Slattery - 365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids: An If I Could Ask God Anything Devotional

365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids

2017 by Kathryn Slattery

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Tommy Nelson. Tommy Nelson is an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the International Childrens Bible. Copyright 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked THE MESSAGE are from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NCV are from the New Century Version. 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are from The Living Bible. Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ERV are from the Easy-to-Read Version Copyright 2006 by Bible League International.

Buzz Aldrins words are taken from his 1970 article in Guideposts Magazine, Is It True That an Astronaut Celebrated Communion on the Moon?, available online at https://www.guideposts.org/better-living/life-advice/finding-life-purpose/guideposts-classics-buzz-aldrin-on-communion-in-space.

The prayer we said for our dog Max as he was passing away, used in the September 10 devotion, was adapted from a Blessing for an Animal That Has Died or Is About to Die, published in I Will See You in Heaven, by Jack Wintz, Paraclete Press, 2010.

Epub Edition October 2017 ISBN 9780718085650

ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-8564-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on File

Printed in China

17 18 19 20 21 DSC 5 4 3 2 1

Mfr: DSC / Shenzhen, China / November 2017 / PO #9457099

For Katy and Brinck, and children

of all ages, everywhere...

Dear Reader,

I am so excited that you have chosen to read this 365-day devotional! Here is why: it is very important to understand these three life-changing truths about God.

God is real.

God personally loves and cares for you.

God has a unique purpose for your life on planet Earth.

Why are these three truths so important? Because you were born to really and truly get to know God, understand how much He loves you, and discover His special purpose for your life.

This is good news! And it is the reason I wrote this devotional just for you. In case you are wondering, a devotional is a special book you read daily to help you grow closer to God. The word devotional includes the idea of being devoted or lovingly faithful to God. You may be wondering: Why, if there are 365 days in the year, are there 366 daily devotions? Because every four years, on February 29, there is an extra daya leap day!

In this daily devotional you will learn all about our real, loving Father God; His Son, Jesus; Gods Holy Spirit; Gods Holy Word, the Bible; Christianity; faith; prayer; the church; Christian seasons, holidays, and traditions; the history of Christianity; what it means to be a Christian in todays world; famous Christiansand much, much more! Day by day, over the course of one year, well explore 366 real-life questions and answers to help you deepen your knowledge of the Bible. You will build your faith vocabulary so you can better understand and share the message of Gods love with others. Most importantly, you will establish a deep and lasting personal relationship with our living, loving Father God, through faith in His Son, Jesus.

Its a good idea to pick ten or fifteen minutes each daymaybe first thing in the morning or at bedtime before you go to sleepto read and think about each days devotional. In addition to a real-life question and answer, each entry begins with a Bible verse and ends with a short prayer. You might want to have your Bible handy in case you want to look up the days Bible verse and find out more about it. At the back of this devotional you will find a list of all the questions in this book.

If you want to read ahead to the next day or go back and read yesterdays devotion, thats okay. The more you read, the more you will learn! And dont worry if you miss a day... or a week... or even a month of readings. The good news is that whenever you open this book, whatever day it might be, God is patiently waiting for you. He is so happy to have your attention and eager to speak to you in a loving, close, deeply personal way. Thats just the way God is.

There are, of course, zillions of questions about God and Jesus and Christianityway more than can ever be answered in a single year. But every day, through the pages of this devotional, I promise that you will begin to understand what you believe about Godand why. And if theres something you read that you dont understand, or if you have more questions, feel free to ask your mom or dad or a grown-up you can trust.

Remember, God loves a curious mind and seeking heart. And God loves you. So fasten your seat belt, turn the page to todays date, and get ready to take off on an exciting journey in faith!

Love and Blessings,
Kitty Slattery

P.S.Even though we havent met, you are in my most loving prayers each and every day!

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

ECCLESIASTES 3:1

What a good question for the first day of the year! The answer is simple: God invented time. The Bible says that God is both the beginning and the end (Revelation 21:6). This is because God is eternal, which means forever or endless. Because God is eternal, He lives outside time and space. We call this place the kingdom of God, or heaven.