Joel Anderson - Tell Me about Faith

big topics for little Kids Tell Me
About
Faith by Joel AndersonIllustrated by Joel Anderson
and Kristi Carter Smith Text and art copyright 2005 by Joel Anderson. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts in reviews. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Tommy Nelson, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Tommy Nelson books may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Scripture quotations in this book are from the International Childrens Bible, New Century Version, 1986, 1988, 1999 by Tommy Nelson, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Anderson, Joel.
Tell me about faith / by Joel Anderson ; illustrated by Joel Anderson and Kristi Carter Smith.
p. cm. (Big topics for little kids)
ISBN 1-4003-0615-9 (hardcover)
1. I. I.

Smith, Kristi Carter. II. Title.
BV4637.A62 2005
234'.23dc22 2005000011 Printed in China 05 06 07 08 09 RRD 5 4 3 2 1 Parent /Teacher Discussion Aid Q. What is faith? A. It is believing in something you cant see; knowing something to be true, even though you cant prove it. Faith is putting your trust in someone else besides yourself.

It is trusting in a promise, hoping, waiting, and looking for what you know is sure to happen. Q. In whom or what do you trust? A. You trust that a chair will hold you up and not crash You trust that a chair will hold you up and not crash to the ground each time you sit down. You trust the lights to turn on each time you flick on a light switch. You trust your parents to feed you each time you are hungry.

You trust in God to hear you each time you pray. Q. How did the little girl in this story show her faith? A. She believed she had a daddy who loved her, even though she could not remember meeting him. She never stopped believing, hoping, and trusting in his promise that one day he would come home and she would see him face-to-face. Q.

How can you show your faith? A. Obedience is faith. When you do what the Bible says is right, you are proving that you have faith in Gods rules. Gods rules help us to know Him. When we obey His commands, we show the whole world that we have faith in God. When you obey your parents, you are showing them that you love them and you believe they know what is best for you.

Another way to show your faith is to pray. Even though you cant see God, He is right here with you. He can see you and hear you. When you talk to Him, you show your faith by believing He is right here. When God answers your prayers, you can show your faith by thanking Him Q. Can God give me more faith? A.

Yes! Jesus talked about sending a Helper to show Yes! Jesus talked about sending a Helper to show us how to have more faith. This Helper is called the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of Truth. He teaches our heart how to know right from wrong, gives us faith to believe in God, and helps us to obey Gods rules. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey His commands. He will ask the Father to give us another Helper to be with us forever. The Helper is the Spirit of Truth.

The world cannot accept Him, because it does not see Him or know Him. But we know Him, because He lives with us and He will be in us (John 14:1517). Experiment for Little People TOOLS Blindfold (optional) Close your eyes (or use a blindfold) and try to walk across the room. Its difficult, isnt it? Now do it again. But have someone hold your hand and lead you across the room. Its easier, isnt it? Why? Because you put your trust in someone who can see.

That is how it is with God. He sees everything. He knows everything. His rules are to help us live life without stumbling. It takes faith to do what is right. Faith means being sure
of the things we hope for.
And faith means knowing
that something is real even if we do not see it. HEBREWS 11:1 It was a hopeful time for three people. Two were at home. And one was far away. The two at home talked about the one they loved.
They knew he loved them, too, even though they couldnt see him. The one who was far away thought about home.
He knew his wife and daughter were praying for him, even though he couldnt hear them. He remembered the day he went to war.
His little girl was just a baby then. He remembered the day he went to war.
His little girl was just a baby then.

She couldnt remember being with her daddy, but the little girl thought about him often. Someday, she would hold his hand and walk with him in the garden he had planted. Even though the little girl couldnt hug her daddy,
she could feel his love in the letters he wrote. His letters made her feel safe, they told her she was precious, and they promised he would be home again. The little girl did her best to let her daddy know she loved him. Months went by, and one summer day a package arrived. Inside were three ugly brown things and one pretty card.