The Bible teaches us that God loves us and forgives. We are encouraged to pray to God "that we may receive mercy" and find "help in time of need" (4:16). Admitting that you have made a bad choice, and asking for forgiveness is the first step to feeling better about your mistake. Receiving mercy (kindness and understanding) is a great blessing!
The Holy Spirit is like air we breathe––like the wind that cools us on a hot day. We can't see it, but we know it is there because we can feel it. The Holy Spirit is God's Spirit that becomes a part of us when we accept his love. It fills us with new life – a fresh way of seeing the world that brings peace, comfort, and joy. Take a deep breath!
Children's Sermon Genesis 1:1 – 2:4 Evidence of God's Love By Lois Parker Edstrom The very first part of the Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. Probably the biggest question most of us have is, "How did that happen?" No one knows for sure. It remains a mystery, but [...]
We learn, by studying the Bible that God loves us and wants the best for us. When Jesus lived on earth he said, "I will put my trust in (God)" (2:13).
Have you ever thought about how we are nourished and fed from the inside? God said, "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh" (2:17). What this means is that, after Jesus had gone to heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to live in each one of us. We can think of the Holy Spirit as God's Spirit of Love that gives us what we need to grow and become a more loving person. We can think of the Holy Spirit as that which gives sweetness to our lives. God pours out His Spirit to all of us; to live inside each one of us.
We love our creations because those creations are a part of us – they come from our hands, and hearts, and minds. God created us. We come from Him and He is in us. The Bible teaches us that "we are all from one" (2:11). You are God's creation and you are loved.
We may not be able to speak other languages, but we can learn how to understand each other. God's Spirit teaches us to learn to listen, trust God and feel his love. When this happens we are able to reach out to others, as God gives us the ability. Listen and trust! God's Spirit gives us the language of love.
Listen to this Bible verse: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new" (5:17). When we accept God's love and ask to be forgiven for the mistakes we have made, we are given a new beginning. We leave our old mistakes behind and start fresh. Like the snake in its new skin we have room to grow.
What do we know about Jesus? We know that he was a kind and loving man. We know that he healed people and we read about his miracles. We know that he gave life to people who had died. We know that he prayed and had great power. Can you think of other things that describe Jesus? Those things we find out about Jesus are clues to what God is like. Just as in all good mysteries, there are clues along the way. The more we study and learn about the life of Jesus, the closer we get to understanding God's nature.
The Bible teaches us that we can be confident "for we walk by faith, not by sight" (5:7). Do you know what it means to be confident? The dictionary gives this definition: having a strong belief; sure of oneself and one's abilities. Our belief is our faith. We believe in God who loves us. We cannot see God, but we see what he created and we feel his love.