Storytime 2, Lesson 1

(to hear this story read out loud, click the green play button)

Randy and Debbie were sitting in the doorway of their tree house. Randy reached up his hand. "See how close the sky is, Debbie. I can almost touch the clouds."

Debbie looked at the soft, white clouds. "God lives up there, doesn't He?" she asked. "I wish I could see God walking on the clouds. Then I would know what He is like."

"Aw, Debbie, we can't see God with our eyes," Randy told her. "Not until we get to Heaven, then we can."

"I don't want to wait," Debbie said. "I want to know what God is like now!"

Just then Mother called. The children scrambled down from the tree house and ran into the kitchen. "Here is a letter from your Uncle Fred," Mother said. "He lives in a country called Argentina."

"Have we seen him?" Randy wanted to know.

"No," Mother answered. "But your father told him about you, so he has written you a letter."

"Me, too?" Debbie cried, hopping up and down.

"Yes," Mother smiled as she gave Randy the letter. "Read it out loud, Randy. I will help you with the hard words."

Randy read, "Dear Debbie and Randy: I think it is time you got acquainted with your uncle in faraway Argentina. I want you to write to me. In my next letter I will tell you about this country where I live. You can look for a package in the mail soon. Love, Uncle Fred."

Randy and Debbie were excited. "Will the package come tomorrow, Mom?" Debbie asked.

"I don't know," Mother said. "You must wait and see."

Every day Debbie and Randy watched for the mailman. Every day they read their letter from Uncle Fred. At last one day the package arrived. Eagerly the children tore off the wrapping.

"Oh! Oh!" Debbie cried. "Look at the pretty doll. It's for me, isn't it, Mom?"

"Yes," Mother said. "It is beautiful and it is dressed like a little Argentine girl."

There was a book for Randy. "Look, Mother," he said. "My book has pictures of the birds and animals of Argentina."

"What a lovely book!" said Mother. After the children had enjoyed their gifts for awhile, they decided to write Uncle Fred to thank him. They wrote, "Dear Uncle Fred." Then Debbie put down her pencil.

"We don't know what Uncle Fred is like. So how can we write to him when we have never seen him?" she asked.

Randy frowned. "I don't know," he said.

"Children," Mother said. "We don't have to see someone in order to know what he is like. We can learn much about a person by the things he does and the things he says."

Randy was thinking hard. "Do you mean that Uncle Fred's letter and gifts show us that he is a kind man and that he loves us?"

Mother nodded and Debbie said, "I think Uncle Fred wants us to love him because he asked us to write to him."

"And he knows that boys like birds and animals, and girls like dolls," Randy added.

"He certainly does," Mother agreed with a smile. "Now, you see how much we can know about someone even though we have never seen him."

Suddenly Debbie had an idea. "Is that how we get to know what God is like, Mom? By the things He does for us, even though we can't see Him with our eyes?"

"Why, yes, Debbie. I'm glad you thought of that." Mother looked pleased. "We know that God is wise and can do anything because of the beautiful world He has created for us to live in. But He has also sent us a letter. It is even more exciting than the one you got from Uncle Fred. It is . . ."

"I know," Randy cried. "It's the BIBLE, isn't it?"

"That's right," Mother said. "And in the Bible, God tells us many things about Himself. He tells us that He is everywhere. He sees all we do. He hears all we say and He knows all we think."

Debbie's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Does God know when I get mad at Randy and think mean things in my head?" she asked.

"Yes, Debbie," Mother answered. "And because God is holy, and because He loves us, it hurts His heart and makes Him sad when we do wrong.

But the Bible tells us if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. That is another reason why God gave us the Bible. He wants us to read it so He can talk to us in our heart and show us what to do."

"God loves us a lot, doesn't He, Mother?" Randy asked.

"Yes," said Mother. "And God showed us how much He loves us by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. Jesus is the most wonderful Gift ever given to man."

"I like Uncle Fred's gift, but I love Jesus best of all," Debbie said softly.

Mother nodded and continued, "When Jesus was here on earth He went everywhere doing good. He made the blind see. He fed the hungry and He healed the sick. He told the people about God. He said, 'He who has seen Me has seen the Father.' By the things He did, Jesus showed everyone how good and kind, and how great and wonderful God is. He helped us to understand what God is like."

Randy thought of something. "Mother," he asked, "will God ever grow old?"

Mother shook her head. "No, Randy. God says in the Bible, 'I am the Lord, I change not.' So we know that He will never grow old. He will never change in any way. We can trust Him always."

Debbie gave a happy sigh. "I'm glad I know now what God is like."

"Me, too," said Randy. "Come on, Debbie. Let's write our letters to Uncle Fred. I want to thank him for my book and tell him that God loves him too."

Quickly the children picked up their pencils and began to write.

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YOUR HAND WANTS TO TELL YOU A STORY

GOD'S GREAT SALVATION

(to hear this story read out loud, click the green play button)

1. I have sinned.

2. God loves me.

3. Jesus died for me.

4. I receive Him.

5. I have everlasting life.