Andy Holmes - My First Devotional

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:56 Andy Holmes
Illustrated by Rob Suggs

My First Devotional
Previously titled My First Devotional Bible
2007, 2012 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Illustrations by Rob Suggs. 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 a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Scripture quotations in this book are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION.
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.
(Editors note: We have retained the italic type in the New King James Version Bible text quoted in this book. Italic type indicates words that are not found in the original languages but are needed for clarity in English.) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data My first devotional Bible / Andy Holmes p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-1-4003-1699-1
1. 2. 2.

BibleDevotional useJuvenile literature. I. Title
BS551.3.H655 2007
242.62dc22 2006029383 Printed in China
Mfr: Hung Hing / Shenzhen, China / Jan 2012 /
12 13 14 15 16 HH 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS A NOTE FROM
THE AUTHOR According to FunTrivia.com, there are 593,493 words in the Old Testament and 181,253 words in the New Testament, bringing the total words in the Bible to 774,746. Thats a lot of words! More than that, the Bible is filledwith life-changing words.My First Devotional will help you see what these words can mean for your life. Perhaps youve met some of these Bible characters in My First Study Bible; if so, nows your chance to get to know them even better. Each of the 65 devotions in this book is designed to help you learn more about the Bible and have some fun along the way: Get to know Bible characters who walked with God long before you or I walked at all.

Discover ways to apply what you learn from each story to your own life. Read and memorize key Bible verses. Explore the Bible to learn interesting facts, mysteries, and things to ponder. Acquire fascinating bits of information to share with others. Sharpen your Bible skills as you answer challenging questions. So why are you still hanging around on this page? Turn the page and start the fun! Andy Holmes WHOS REALLY IN
CHARGE HERE? Geneses 2:153:24 Im Adam.

And Im Eve. The first people ever. You know our story. God said we could eat anything in the garden, except one thing. God said, Dont eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But we did anyway.

We wanted to make up our own minds about things and take charge of our own lives. So we disobeyed. Boy, that was a mistake! Truth is, you have to answer that same question: whos in charge of your life? Like us, youll have to answer that question every day. Will you do what you want to do? Or will you obey God? WHO? ME? Will you do what God wants you to do, even when its not what you want to do? God builds your faith with each such challenge. Say, Yes, Lord! and your faith grows stronger. Say, No, Lord, and your faith grows weaker.

BIBLE VERSE Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. Deuteronomy 8:6 Water, please? Question: When was the first sprinkler system invented?
Answer: Before man was created. Read all about it in Genesis 2:46. DID YOU KNOW? Adam lived to be 930 years old. Picture the candles on his last birthday cake! CHALLENGE What were two of the first things Adam and Eve did after they disobeyed God? Read Genesis 3:78. PRAYER Dear God, Thank You for being a loving and forgiving God! You gave Adam and Eve so much, but they still did what You asked them not to do.

Help me to obey You. You know what is best for me. Help me to be thankful for what Youve given me. I love You, God. In Jesus name, Amen. Genesis 6:99:17 Hi, ya! Captain Noah here! No doubt you know my story by heart.

Build a big boat, Noah! God told me. A big what? I wondered. So God told me exactly how to do it. It was a pretty tall order, er, so to speak, and, buoy, oh buoy (Get it? Thats boat humor!), did I get some strange looks from the neighborsespecially after those two skunks arrived! Big jobs take big stick-to-it-iveness. Sure, I wanted to quit along the waybut I figured I had better do it with all that water coming! And Im so glad I did. Quitters never finish anything.

God needs people wholl stick with it until the task is done. God calls it perseverance. And its a great thing to develop in yourself. WHO? ME? Finish your tasks. Homework? Get it done without complaining or having to be scolded. Household chores? Do them with a smile.

When you make yourself stick with these little things, youre training yourself to be able to stick with bigger things. BIBLE VERSE And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. Genesis 7:5 Bible mystery What was Noahs wifes name? The Bible doesnt say. Two best guesses, according to Bible scholars, are Naamah or Emzara. DID YOU KNOW? Animal facts: A rat can last longer without water than a camel. An ostrichs eye is bigger than its brain.

Snakes hear through their jaws. CHALLENGE How many humans went aboard the ark? Read Genesis 8:18 and 9:18. PRAYER Dear God, Thank You for giving Noah stick-to-it-iveness. He listened to You and not other people. Help me to be more like Noah. Help me to finish the simple, everyday tasks.

Then, when You ask me to do bigger things, I will be able to finish them for You. In Jesus name, Amen. Genesis 21:17; 22:119 Hi, Im Abraham. Do you remember what God told me to do with my only son, Isaac? God told me to sacrifice him on an altar. Whoa! Thankfully, this was no ordinary request. As hard as it was, I obeyed.

And God stopped me just in time. I was so relieved! Heres the point: God wanted to know if I loved Him more than anything elseeven more than I loved my precious son. Guess what? God wants us to love Him most of all.