Friday, March 13, 2009

The one who made all things

Chapter 3

The One Who Made All Things

I KNOW something wonderful. Would you like to hear it?— Look at your hand. Bend your fingers. Now pick something up. Your hand can do many things, and it can do them well. Do you know who made our hands?—

Yes, it was the same One who made our mouth, our nose, and our eyes. It was God, the Father of the Great Teacher. Aren’t we glad that God gave us eyes?— We can see many things with them. We can look at flowers. We can look at the green grass and the blue sky. We may even see hungry little birds like the ones in the picture. Really, it is marvelous that we can see things like this, isn’t it?—

But who made these things? Did some man make them? No. Men can make a house. But no man can make grass that grows. Men cannot make a baby bird, a flower, or any other living thing. Did you know that?—

God is the one who made all these things. God made the heavens and the earth. He made people too. He created the first man and the first woman. Jesus, the Great Teacher, taught this.—Matthew 19:4-6.

How did Jesus know that God made man and woman? Did Jesus see God do it?— Yes, he did. Jesus was with God when God made man and woman. Jesus was the first person that God made. Jesus was an angel, and he lived in heaven with his Father.

The Bible tells us that God said: “Let us make man.” (Genesis 1:26) Do you know whom God was talking to?— He was talking to his Son. He was talking to the one who later came to earth and became Jesus.

Isn’t that exciting? Just think! When we listen to Jesus, we are being taught by the one who was with God when God made the earth and all other things. Jesus learned much from working with his Father in heaven. No wonder Jesus is the Great Teacher!

Do you think that God was unhappy about being alone before he made his Son?— No, he wasn’t. Well, if he was not unhappy, why did he make other living things?— He did this because he is a God of love. He wanted others to live and enjoy life. We should thank God that he gave us life.

Everything that God has done shows his love. God made the sun. The sun gives us light and keeps us warm. Everything would be cold and there would be no life on earth if we did not have the sun. Aren’t you glad that God made the sun?—

God makes it rain too. Sometimes you may not like the rain because you can’t go outside to play when it rains. But the rain helps the flowers to grow. So when we see beautiful flowers, whom are we going to thank for them?— God. And to whom should we give thanks when we eat fruits and vegetables that taste good?— We should thank God because it is his sun and rain that make things grow.

Suppose that someone asks you, ‘Did God make man and the animals too?’ What would you say?— It is correct to say: “Yes, God made man and the animals.” But what if someone does not believe that God really made humans? What if he or she says that man came from animals? Well, the Bible does not teach that. It says that God created all living things.—Genesis 1:26-31.

But someone may tell you that he does not believe in God. What will you say then?— Why not point to a house? Ask the person: “Who made that house?” Everyone knows that someone had to make it. The house certainly did not make itself!—Hebrews 3:4.

Then take the person to a garden and show him a flower. Ask him: “Who made this?” No man did. And just as the house did not make itself, so this flower did not make itself either. Someone made it. God did.

Ask the person to stop and listen to the song of a bird. Then ask him: “Who made the birds and taught them to sing?” God did. God is the one who made the heavens and the earth and all living things! He is the One who gives life.

Yet, someone may say that he believes only what he can see. He may say: ‘If I can’t see it, I don’t believe it.’ So some people say they don’t believe in God because they can’t see him.

It is true that we cannot see God. The Bible says: ‘No man can see God.’ No man, woman, or child on earth can see God. So no one should try to make a picture or an image of God. God even tells us not to make an image of him. So, then, it would not please God for us to have things like that in our house.—Exodus 20:4, 5; 33:20; John 1:18.

But if you cannot see God, how do you know that there really is a God? Think about this. Can you see the wind?— No. Nobody can see the wind. But you can see the things the wind does. You can see the leaves move when the wind blows through the branches of a tree. So you believe that there is wind.

You can see the things God has done too. When you see a living flower or a bird, you see something that God has made. So you believe that there really is a God.

Someone might ask you, ‘Who made the sun and the earth?’ The Bible says: “God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Yes, God made all these wonderful things! How do you feel about that?—

Isn’t it wonderful to be alive? We can hear the beautiful songs of the birds. We can see the flowers and the other things that God has made. And we can eat the foods that God has given us.

For all these things, we should thank God. Most of all, we should thank him for giving us life. If we are really thankful to God, we will do something. What is that?— We will listen to God, and we will do what he tells us in the Bible. In that way we can show that we love the One who made all things.

We should show appreciation to God for all that he has done. How? Read what is written at Psalm 139:14 (138:14, “Douay Version”); John 4:23, 24; 1 John 5:21; and Revelation 4:11.

[Picture on page 21]

Who made all living things?

[Pictures on page 22, 23]

Since someone made the house, who made the flowers, the trees, and the animals?

[Picture on page 25]

How do you know that there is wind?

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