YOU ARE NOT ALONESample

Who Is God?

What do you think about God? Who do you think He is? This is an important question. Because what you think about God affects what you think about yourself—and basically everything in your life!

Why? You were made by God. So was I! And so was every person on earth.

God made your body. God made your soul and spirit and gave you gifts, talents, preferences, and a unique, precious personality.

God made your brain. God made your mind with amazing abilities. It can think, learn, and grow. He gave you the ability to have emotions—to laugh and cry.

God gave us this amazing inner world inside our heads and hearts, and He called it good. After He made the first man and woman, the Bible says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31 NIV). That includes you! He created you - all your inmost parts and called you very good. Still, sometimes we don’t feel good.

But let me give you a promise: No matter how bad things get, God gives us a way back to good. It all starts with knowing who you are and how you were made. And even before that, who God is: the One who made you so lovingly and carefully.

So, who is God? What is He like? If you’re not sure, read on! If you know Him already, read on! It’s a great reminder and encouragement for you too.

Let’s start with one of my favorite things about Him -God likes you. He doesn’t just love you because that’s His job. He likes you so much. He created you! He imagined you in His mind - every little bit.

He gave you the Holy Spirit to live in your heart, and He has a plan for your life.

He designed everything on this earth to bless you so you would know His love for you. So you would be able to see His delight over you.

So, how can we know God?

• We know about Him because of the Word of God - the Bible. The Word tells us who God is.
• We know about God because of creation. The whole world cries out the glory of God.
• We know God through His love. God wanted to love you, so He created you!
• We know God through the Holy Spirit. God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and minds. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Helper [and] the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17 ICB).
• We know God through Jesus. Jesus is God’s Son, and He is also God. There is nothing more important than understanding and knowing Jesus.

We live in a world with a lot of brokenness and disappointment because we have all been touched by sin. But Jesus came to solve this problem! He chose to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins, and three days after he was killed on the cross, He rose from the dead. What hope!

John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” When we believe Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, when we give Him our lives, we are called adopted sons and daughters.

This new identity changes everything! It changes our thoughts and how we think about ourselves and other people. We accept forgiveness from God, and we become forgiving of ourselves and others. We are free to love and heal.

Discuss

Parents and kids: Review the ways we can know God. Which of these stands out as a meaningful way you have experienced Him personally? Pray together and ask God to help you know Him more. If you have never received Jesus into your life, you can pray right now to trust Him with your life!