2 Timothy 3:15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. NLT1
Seed Basket continues with our “Kids Ask God” series.
I have greatly enjoyed this series. I hope you have learned as much as I have because of these amazing kids.
Their questions are important and deserve our attention. God understands each child and has a plan for them. I hope you engage with your children as they ask their questions.
Nicole, age 11 “How many people are staying here when you come?“
Nicole, I wish you could have asked me your question in person. I think you must have a loving and concerned heart. Are you worried about those who haven’t accepted Jesus by the time of His return? I’m sure you’re eager to share God’s love.
But don’t worry; God loves everyone and wants them in Heaven. He never forces anyone but has provided enough information to believe in Him as the one and only way to Heaven.
God gave us His amazing creation, placed a desire to live in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and sent missionaries, preachers, and teachers who love Him. Most importantly, He has given us the Spirit of God, connecting us to Him through Jesus!
1 John 2:28 So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.2 CSB
Because Jesus told us in Matthew 28 to tell others about salvation, then we should obey Him. The verse we most often hear that says this is the Great Commission.
Although we do not know how many people will be left on earth when Jesus takes believers to Heaven, we do know that true believers will not be left behind during the time known as the tribulation.
That will be a hard time for anyone who is left. And although we do not know for a fact how many people will give their hearts to Jesus during that seven-year period, we do know that many will. Click on this link (Revelation 7:9)CSB with your mom and dad helping you.
You may not know this, but one of Jesus’ disciples, John, was the man who was inspired to write the book of Revelation. Revelation is a very mysterious book, in some ways. But even though we don’t understand it all, believers who take the time to read it are blessed. Revelation 1:3CSB
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. And John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
So, you see, Nicole, even though every person has a choice to either accept or reject Jesus as their Savior, God offers this beautiful, free Gift to all. He is so patient. He grieves for those who are lost. And He deeply loves His children.
By the way, here is a link to another article about what we will be doing in Heaven after the rapture. This is so cool! Feel free to let me know what you think about that.
Viley, age 9. “Do you love me with all your heart?”
Romans 5:8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.CSB
Viley, I greatly enjoyed answering this question from God’s Word. His Story is full of examples about how much God loves. As a matter of fact, God’s greatest characteristic is LOVE. Did you know that God loved you before our time on earth began? That’s what the Bible tells us. Get mom and dad to read Psalm 1393ICB with you. That is just one of hundreds of examples in God’s Story about loving YOU!
The greatest way that I know God loves you and me is because Jesus died for all sin. He did that for everyone. Even for those who are lost.
I am grateful for His sacrifice and that He gave me faith to be saved. But there are other reasons why I know He loves me as an individual. Think about ways that He loves you as an individual, too.
Jesus showed His love for me by giving me special gifts before I was born. He gives gifts to all believers, and each one is unique to that person. For instance, I believe my spiritual gifts are kindness and helping others. I also have a creative gift for writing about Him and playing the piano. When I use these gifts for Him, I feel like I am loving and praising Him. I feel His love for me then, too.
When I brag about my gifts or use them selfishly, I show others my unkind side instead of God’s love for them.
Loving others with God’s love is a special gift of all true believers. The Bible reminds us that loving fellow believers shows we’ve truly given our hearts to God. If we just refuse to love others because they are grumpy, selfish, or unkind, it indicates that God may not be in our hearts. Instead, we focus more on how we are treated, which is known as false pride and is sinful.
1 John 3:10 So now we can tell who children of God are and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. NLT
Now I am not saying it’s easy to love everyone. Believers still mess up every day. It isn’t easy to do right in this world. But that’s what God’s love does. It loves us when we are not very nice. The only way true believers can love like God loves is with His help. The Spirit of God is our helper and teacher, and He lives in every believer’s heart.
Love is not just a nice feeling. Love means finding ways to care for others. It is meant to be shared. The more we give God’s love to others, the more we feel God’s love in our hearts. God’s love is the most important love we can have, even more than the love from our parents. However, God made us to love and be loved. He gave us families so we can care for each other. There is nothing better than sharing God’s love.
There are many people in the world who don’t have any person to love them. That is so hard. But look at the sweet promise God has given to anyone who feels unloved but walks with Jesus.
Psalm 27:10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me. Though my father and my mother should forsake me, yet the Lord will gather me up. Geneva Bible, CA. 15994
God loves you deeply and pays attention when you cry. In the Bible, God often uses word pictures to help us understand His messages better. Consider this Psalm.
You have recorded my wanderings.
Put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
Psalm 56:8 CSB
But even though God gave us His innocent Son, we still can’t really understand God’s love. But we can believe it. And that is all that is necessary. Just know in your heart, no matter how hard life may get as you grow up, God loves Viley, very, very much.
Ephesians 3:18 How long and how wide; how high and how deep is God’s love? What is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love?
John 3:16 For God so loved Viley that He gave His own Son, Jesus, that if Viley, will believe in Him, she will not perish, but Viley will live with Him forever!
Bailey 7, Will you ask me any questions in Heaven?
Baily, when Miss Kelly sent me your question, it made me smile every time I thought about it. Actually, it is a very smart question. If you think about it, it makes sense that God might ask us questions like He asked Adam and Eve a very long time ago. But the Bible does not say that He will ask us questions.
Now that I have answered your question, I am going to show you what questions God asked of Adam and Eve. Be patient. You will understand.
If you go back and look at Adam and Eve’s story in the book of Genesis, God did ask them these questions.
Genesis 3:9 …So, the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:11 Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?…
Genesis 3:11 Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
Genesis 3:13 So the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
Now Bailey, you are young, but old enough to understand what I’m about to explain. God gave you the ability to ask questions. If you need help, your mom, dad, the preacher, or Miss Kelly can explain things better.
God knew all along that Adam and Eve would sin. God knew when they sinned and why they sinned. God was not surprised that they hid, because they were guilty of breaking His rule about not eating from the one tree in the Garden. God knew the answers to each of those questions.
The reason He asked those questions is because Adam and Eve kept on sinning. They hid from God, they lied about their sin, they blamed each other and the serpent, and Adam even blamed God for giving Eve to be his wife. They did not want to admit any of that. They did not want to repent.
But that is how sinners are now. None of us want to repent. But God loves us and wants us to be with Him forever. So, this is how God gave grace.
God loved them. He could have punished them by separating Himself from them forever. Instead, he punished them by making them live outside of the Garden away from all the good things in it. Life got very hard for them. Life is still very hard and sometimes scary now, for you and me.
But God does for us what He did for Adam and Eve. He gave us grace. His Holy Spirit leads us to admit that we are sinful and to know that we need to turn away from our sin. He helps us have faith to believe that Jesus died for our sin and that He is alive in Heaven. He sits by God in Heaven. The Bible even tells us where Jesus is seated. He is next to His Father, on His right side!
And when we are in Heaven, we may very well have some questions to answer. The Bible does not tell us that God will ask us questions, like He did ask Adam and Eve. For one thing, there will be no sadness or sin in Heaven. So, any questions God might ask would not be about bad things.
When we go to Heaven, we won’t have time to be nervous. Jesus will take us from earth before we even know what’s happening. The Bible says in the blink of an eye we will be with Him. You do not have to be afraid. You will even know and recognize your family that goes to Heaven.
Then, Jesus will bring us all together to receive crowns for all of the things we have done on earth that are good, like telling lost people about Jesus.
So, this may be one of those times when He asks us something like, “What did you do with the time you had on earth? Did you love others? Did you tell them about Me?”
But, even if God does ask us questions, they will not be hard to answer. We will just love seeing Him so much and celebrating with our family by joining Jesus at a very special meal. Can you imagine going out to eat with Jesus? Well, we will be at His beautiful table, sharing a meal, laughter, love and so much joy.
So, don’t worry about answering questions. If you are a believer, you are going to have such a great time with Jesus, on that day!
Don’t be afraid. Just love Him every day. Talk to Him, like He is right there with you because He is. And above all, love Him, help others and watch for Him to show you your special gifts of service.
Thanks for asking such a great question!
- New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. ↩︎
- Christian Standard Bible (CSB)The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved. ↩︎
- International Children’s Bible (ICB)The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. ↩︎
- 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts. ↩︎
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 