365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids: An If I Could Ask God Anything Devotional

365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids

© 2017 by Kathryn Slattery

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Tommy Nelson. Tommy Nelson is an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the International Children’s Bible®. Copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked THE MESSAGE are from The Message. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NCV are from the New Century Version®. © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are from The Living Bible. Copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ERV are from the Easy-to-Read Version Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International.

Buzz Aldrin’s words are taken from his 1970 article in Guideposts Magazine, Is It True That an Astronaut Celebrated Communion on the Moon?, available online at https://www.guideposts.org/better-living/life-advice/finding-life-purpose/guideposts-classics-buzz-aldrin-on-communion-in-space.

The prayer we said for our dog Max as he was passing away, used in the September 10 devotion, was adapted from a Blessing for an Animal That Has Died or Is About to Die, published in I Will See You in Heaven, by Jack Wintz, Paraclete Press, 2010.

Epub Edition October 2017 ISBN 9780718085650

ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-8564-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on File

Printed in China

17 18 19 20 21 DSC 5 4 3 2 1

Mfr: DSC / Shenzhen, China / November 2017 / PO #9457099

For Katy and Brinck, and children

of all ages, everywhere . . .

Contents

Just for You

January

January 1: Who Invented Time?

January 2: Why Do Christians Celebrate Special Seasons and Holidays?

January 3: Who Is God?

January 4: If God Is My Creator, How Is He Different from My Parents?

January 5: If God Is Invisible, How Can I Know He Is Real?

January 6: What Is Epiphany?

January 7: How Can I Know for Sure God Loves Me?

January 8: Who Is the Trinity?

January 9: How Can God Be Three Persons at the Same Time?

January 10: Why Is God Three Persons at the Same Time?

January 11: How Do I Know God Has a Special Purpose for My Life?

January 12: How Can I Share God’s Love?

January 13: What Does It Mean That I’m Created in the Image of God?

January 14: What Is the Kingdom of God?

January 15: How Can I Get to Know God Better?

January 16: When God Looks at Me, What Does He See?

January 17: Does God Care What My Body Looks Like?

January 18: What Do I Have to Do to Get God to Love Me?

January 19: Does God Ever Sleep?

January 20: What Are Some of God’s Promises for Me?

January 21: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Am Lonely?

January 22: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Am Sad?

January 23: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Am Worried?

January 24: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Am Afraid?

January 25: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Am Envious or Jealous?

January 26: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Am Angry?

January 27: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Am Confused and Need Guidance?

January 28: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Need Healing?

January 29: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Need More Faith?

January 30: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Am Tempted?

January 31: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Feel Guilty?

February

February 1: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Have Failed?

February 2: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Need Hope?

February 3: What Are God’s Promises for Me When I Feel Left Out by Others?

February 4: What Are God’s Promises for Me When Someone I Love Has Died?

February 5: Who Is Jesus?

February 6: When Was Jesus Born?

February 7: Why Was Jesus Born in a Stable?

February 8: How Did Jesus Get His Name?

February 9: Is Christ Jesus’ Last Name?

February 10: Is It True That the First Person to Recognize Jesus Was an Unborn Baby?

February 11: What Is the Song of Mary?

February 12: What Was Jesus like When He Was a Boy?

February 13: Did Jesus Ever Do Anything Wrong?

February 14: Was There Really a Saint Valentine?

February 15: What Is the Temptation of Christ?

February 16: What Is Lent?

February 17: What Makes Jesus So Important?

February 18: Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?

February 19: Did Jesus Live on Earth Before or After the Dinosaurs?

February 20: Did Jesus Have Any Brothers or Sisters?

February 21: What Did Jesus Look Like?

February 22: What Did Jesus Wear?

February 23: Who Is John the Baptist?

February 24: Who Is the Most Important Person Baptized by John the Baptist?

February 25: Who Did Jesus Say He Was?

February 26: Why Did Jesus Do Miracles?

February 27: Did Jesus Really Feed Five Thousand People with Five Loaves of Bread and Two Fish?

February 28: Did Jesus Really Walk on Water?

February 29: What Is Leap Day?

March

March 1: What Other Things Besides Miracles Did Jesus Do to Show Us What God Is Like?

March 2: Who Are the Original Twelve Apostles?

March 3: Who Are the Apostles: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John?

March 4: Who Are the Apostles: Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew?

March 5: Who Are the Apostles: James, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot?

March 6: What’s the Difference Between a Disciple and an Apostle?

March 7: What Is the Transfiguration of Jesus?

March 8: Why Does Jesus Love Children So Much?

March 9: Why Are There So Many Women Named Mary in Jesus’ Life?

March 10: Who Is Lazarus, and How Is His Resurrection Different from Jesus’ Resurrection?

March 11: What Is the Difference Between the Pharisees and the Sadducees?

March 12: What Did Judas Iscariot Do That Was So Bad?

March 13: Who Is Pontius Pilate, and What Makes Him So Important?

March 14: Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

March 15: Did Jesus Know Ahead of Time That He Was Going to Die?

March 16: If Jesus Is God’s Son, Why Didn’t He Save Himself from Being Killed?

March 17: Was There Really a Saint Patrick?

March 18: What Are the Seven Sayings of Jesus on the Cross? (Part 1)

March 19: What Are the Seven Sayings of Jesus on the Cross? (Part 2)

March 20: What Happened to Jesus’ Body After He Died?

March 21: What Is the Resurrection of Jesus?

March 22: Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus So Important?

March 23: How Can I Know for Sure That Jesus Really Was Resurrected? (Part 1)

March 24: How Can I Know for Sure That Jesus Really Was Resurrected? (Part 2)

March 25: How Is Jesus’ Resurrection Body Different from My Body?

March 26: Why Is Easter Always on a Different Date?

March 27: What Is Holy Week?

March 28: What Is Palm Sunday?

March 29: What Is the Passion of Christ?

March 30: What Is the Last Supper?

March 31: What Is Good Friday?

April

April 1: Why Do We Light Candles on Easter?

April 2: Why Is Easter So Important?

April 3: Is It True That Jesus Knows My Name?

April 4: Why Do We Say Alleluia! at Easter?

April 5: Why Do We Celebrate Easter in Springtime with the Easter Bunny and Painted Eggs?

April 6: What Is the Ascension of Christ?

April 7: What Is the Great Commission?

April 8: Why Couldn’t Jesus Just Stay on Earth Forever?

April 9: What Is the Second Coming of Christ?

April 10: When Will the Second Coming of Christ Happen?

April 11: Can Anyone Believe in Jesus?

April 12: How Do I Get to Know Jesus?

April 13: Who Is the Holy Spirit?

April 14: What Is Pentecost?

April 15: How Does the Holy Spirit Help Me?

April 16: Is the Holy Ghost Really a Ghost?

April 17: What Are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

April 18: What Is the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Wisdom?

April 19: What Is the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Knowledge?

April 20: What Is the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Faith?

April 21: What Is the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Healing?

April 22: What Is the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Miraculous Powers?

April 23: What Is the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Prophecy?

April 24: What Is the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Distinguishing Between Spirits?

April 25: What Are the Holy Spirit’s Gifts of Speaking in and Interpreting Different Kinds of Tongues? (Part 1)

April 26: What Are the Holy Spirit’s Gifts of Speaking in and Interpreting Different Kinds of Tongues? (Part 2)

April 27: What Is the Most Important Gift of the Holy Spirit?

April 28: How Are God’s Gifts of the Holy Spirit Different from Natural God-Given Gifts?

April 29: How Can I Discover My God-Given Gifts and Talents?

April 30: What Is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit?

May

May 1: What Is the Most Famous Song About God’s Holy Spirit?

May 2: What Is the Bible?

May 3: How Did We Get the Bible?

May 4: How Did the Bible Get Its Name?

May 5: How Do I Know the Bible Is True?

May 6: What’s the Difference Between the Old Testament and the New Testament? (Part 1)

May 7: What’s the Difference Between the Old Testament and the New Testament? (Part 2)

May 8: What Is the Difference Between a Jew and a Gentile?

May 9: Why Does God’s Name Sometimes Appear as "L

May 10: Was There Really a Flood During the Time of Noah?

May 11: Who Is Abraham, and What Is a Patriarch?

May 12: What Are the Twelve Tests of Abraham?

May 13: Who Is Sarah?

May 14: Who Is Isaac? (Part 1)

May 15: Who Is Isaac? (Part 2)

May 16: How Are Isaac and Jesus Similar?

May 17: Who Is Jacob? (Part 1)

May 18: Who Is Jacob? (Part 2)

May 19: What Is Jacob’s Ladder?

May 20: Who Is Joseph? (Part 1)

May 21: Who Is Joseph? (Part 2)

May 22: What Are the Twelve Tribes of Israel?

May 23: Who Is Moses?

May 24: Is It True That Moses Was Adopted?

May 25: Is It True That God Spoke to Moses in a Burning Bush?

May 26: What Are the Ten Plagues of Egypt?

May 27: What Is Passover?

May 28: Is It True That Moses Parted the Red Sea?

May 29: What Are the Ten Commandments? (Part 1)

May 30: What Are the Ten Commandments? (Part 2)

May 31: What Is the Greatest Commandment?

June

June 1: What Is the Golden Rule?

June 2: What Is Manna from Heaven?

June 3: Is It True That Moses Died Before Entering God’s Promised Land?

June 4: Is There Really a Lost Ark of the Covenant?

June 5: Who Is Joshua?

June 6: What Is the Story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho?

June 7: Who Is Gideon?

June 8: Who Is Ruth?

June 9: Who Is the Prophet Samuel?

June 10: Did David Really Kill a Giant with a Slingshot?

June 11: What Are the Psalms?

June 12: Why Does the Word Selah Appear in the Margins of Psalms?

June 13: What Is the Shepherd’s Psalm?

June 14: What Is the Surprise Message Hiding in Psalm 118:8?

June 15: Who Is the Prophet Elijah?

June 16: What Is a Proverb?

June 17: Who Is the Prophet Isaiah?

June 18: Who Is the Prophet Jeremiah?

June 19: Was Daniel Really Thrown into a Den of Lions?

June 20: Did Jonah Really Get Swallowed by a Huge Fish?

June 21: What Does It Mean When God Changes a Person’s Name?

June 22: Does the Old Testament Have Anything to Say About Jesus?

June 23: Who Is King Melchizedek?

June 24: What Are the Four Gospels?

June 25: Who Is the Gospel Writer Matthew?

June 26: Who Is the Gospel Writer Mark?

June 27: Who Is the Gospel Writer Luke?

June 28: Who Is the Gospel Writer John?

June 29: If the Four Gospels Are All About Jesus, Why Are They Different?

June 30: Why Are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Known As the Four Evangelists?

July

July 1: What Are the Epistles?

July 2: Who Is the Apostle Paul?

July 3: What Is the Thorn in Paul’s Flesh?

July 4: Was George Washington Truly a Man of Faith?

July 5: What’s the Difference Between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee?

July 6: What Are the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount?

July 7: What Is a Parable?

July 8: Who Is the Good Samaritan?

July 9: What Are Some Famous Sayings from the Bible?

July 10: Is It True That the Saying God Helps Those Who Help Themselves Isn’t in the Bible?

July 11: What Is a Gideon’s Bible?

July 12: Why Do Some Bibles Have Red Letters?

July 13: Which Bible Is Right for Me?

July 14: What Are Some Helpful Hints for Reading My Bible?

July 15: Is It Okay to Write in My Bible?

July 16: What’s the Point of Memorizing Bible Verses?

July 17: What Are Some Helpful Hints for Memorizing Bible Verses?

July 18: What Are Some of the Bible’s Most Amazing, Fun Facts? (Part 1)

July 19: What Are Some of the Bible’s Most Amazing, Fun Facts? (Part 2)

July 20: What Is Religion?

July 21: What Is Christianity?

July 22: What’s the Difference Between Christianity and Other Religions?

July 23: Why Do Some Christians Carry Signs That Say John 3:16 at Sporting Events?

July 24: What Is the Apostles’ Creed?

July 25: What Does the Word Catholic Mean in the Apostles’ Creed?

July 26: What Is Faith?

July 27: What Is Sin?

July 28: Who Are Adam and Eve, and How Did Sin Enter the World? (Part 1)

July 29: Who Are Adam and Eve, and How Did Sin Enter the World? (Part 2)

July 30: Does God Stop Loving Me When I Sin?

July 31: Why Do I Still Sin, Even When I Don’t Want To?

August

August 1: Are There Special Words I Need to Say When I Confess My Sins to God?

August 2: What Are the Seven Deadly Sins?

August 3: What Is Christian Hope?

August 4: Why Did Christians Invent Orphanages and Hospitals?

August 5: What Can I Do to Help People in Need?

August 6: What Is the I Give You My Hands Prayer?

August 7: Why Is Taking Care of Our Planet Important to Christians?

August 8: Why Do Some Christians Put Fish-Shaped Symbols on Their Cars?

August 9: What Is the Secret Message Hiding in the Greek Word for Fish?

August 10: Is There a Way to Tell Christians Apart from Other People?

August 11: What Is Prayer?

August 12: Do I Need to Use Special Words When I Pray?

August 13: Do I Have to Kneel When I Pray?

August 14: Why Do We Say Amen at the End of Prayers?

August 15: What Is the Lord’s Prayer? (Part 1)

August 16: What Is the Lord’s Prayer? (Part 2)

August 17: What Is the Lord’s Prayer? (Part 3)

August 18: What Is the Lord’s Prayer? (Part 4)

August 19: What Is the Lord’s Prayer? (Part 5)

August 20: What Is the Lord’s Prayer? (Part 6)

August 21: What’s the Difference Between Saying Grace and Saying a Blessing Before Meals?

August 22: Is It Okay to Say Grace in a Restaurant?

August 23: What Is a Good Bedtime Prayer?

August 24: Can I Know for Sure That God Hears My Prayers?

August 25: Can I Know for Sure That God Will Answer My Prayers?

August 26: Can God Actually Talk to Me?

August 27: Is It Okay to Pray for Help on a Test?

August 28: What Does It Mean to Pray In Jesus’ Name?

August 29: Is It Okay to Pray Out Loud with Another Person?

August 30: What Are Some Tips for Praying with Others?

August 31: What Is a Prayer Journal?

September

September 1: What Should I Do When I Can’t Think of What to Pray?

September 2: What Is Intercessory Prayer?

September 3: Is It True That When Jesus Was on Earth, He Prayed for Me?

September 4: Is It True That Jesus Is Praying for Me Now in Heaven?

September 5: Is It True That God’s Holy Spirit Can Help Me When I Pray?

September 6: Do Miraculous Answers to Prayer Still Happen Today?

September 7: Is It Okay to Pray for My Pet?

September 8: What Is a Good Prayer for My New Pet?

September 9: What Is a Good Prayer for When My Pet Is Sick?

September 10: What Is a Good Prayer for When My Pet Is Close to Death?

September 11: What Is the Jesus Prayer?

September 12: What Is the Serenity Prayer?

September 13: What Is the Prayer of Saint Francis?

September 14: What Is Saint Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer?

September 15: What Is a Good Everyday Prayer?

September 16: What Is the Most Important Prayer in the World?

September 17: What Is the Church?

September 18: Why Is the Church Called the Body of Christ?

September 19: Does a Church Have to Have a Building?

September 20: Why Does God Want Me to Be Involved in a Church?

September 21: Why Are There So Many Different Kinds of Churches?

September 22: Is It Okay for Me to Invite a Friend to Visit My Church?

September 23: What Is Baptism? (Part 1)

September 24: What Is Baptism? (Part 2)

September 25: What Is Communion? (Part 1)

September 26: What Is Communion? (Part 2)

September 27: Is It True That an Astronaut Celebrated Communion on the Moon?

September 28: Why Do We Sing Hymns in Church?

September 29: What Is the Amazing Story Behind Amazing Grace? (Part 1)

September 30: What Is the Amazing Story Behind Amazing Grace? (Part 2)

October

October 1: What Is a Doxology?

October 2: What Does It Mean to Sing the Gloria Patri?

October 3: What’s the Difference Between a Pastor, Priest, and Minister?

October 4: What’s the Difference Between a Clergy Person and a Lay Person?

October 5: Is It True to Be a Missionary You Have to Travel Far from Home?

October 6: What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?

October 7: Why Do Some Clergy Persons Wear White Collars?

October 8: Why Do Some Christians Make the Sign of the Cross?

October 9: Help! What Should I Do When I Think a Church Service Is Boring?

October 10: Why Do Some Crosses Have Jesus on Them and Others Don’t?

October 11: What Is an Altar Call?

October 12: How Did the Christian Church Grow Over the Ages? (Part 1)

October 13: How Did the Christian Church Grow Over the Ages? (Part 2)

October 14: How Did the Christian Church Grow Over the Ages? (Part 3)

October 15: How Did the Christian Church Grow Over the Ages? (Part 4)

October 16: What Does Denomination Mean?

October 17: When Does My Eternal Life Begin?

October 18: What Is Christian Fellowship?

October 19: Is It True That Christians Can’t Have Any Fun?

October 20: What Does the Bible Mean When It Says My Body Is the Temple of God?

October 21: What Does It Mean to Put on the Armor of God?

October 22: What Does It Mean to Be the Salt and Light of the World?

October 23: How Is It Possible to Be Weak and Strong at the Same Time?

October 24: What Is a Quiet Time?

October 25: How Can I Make the Most of My Quiet Times with God?

October 26: What Is Tithing?

October 27: What’s the Difference Between Fasting and Dieting?

October 28: Does It Matter to God How Much Time I Spend Online and Watching TV?

October 29: Can I Have Friends Who Aren’t Christians?

October 30: What’s Wrong with Horoscopes, Fortune-Telling, and Ouija Boards?

October 31: What Kind of Holiday Is Halloween?

November

November 1: What Is All Saints’ Day?

November 2: Who Is William Wilberforce?

November 3: Who Is C. S. Lewis?

November 4: Who Is Mother Teresa of Calcutta?

November 5: Who Is J. R. R. Tolkien?

November 6: Who Is Corrie ten Boom?

November 7: Who Is Billy Graham?

November 8: Who Is Harriet Tubman?

November 9: Who Is Fred Rogers? (Part 1)

November 10: Who Is Fred Rogers? (Part 2)

November 11: Who Is Madeleine L’Engle?

November 12: Who Is Eric Liddell?

November 13: What Is a Hypocrite?

November 14: How Does God Want Me to Spend My Time?

November 15: How Do I Tell a Friend About Jesus?

November 16: Why Do People Have to Die?

November 17: What Will Happen to Me When I Die?

November 18: Are There Really Angels? (Part 1)

November 19: Are There Really Angels? (Part 2)

November 20: When I Die, Will I Become an Angel with a Halo and Wings?

November 21: Is It True That I Have a Guardian Angel?

November 22: Are There Really Demons?

November 23: Is the Devil Real? (Part 1)

November 24: Is the Devil Real? (Part 2)

November 25: Is Hell Real? (Part 1)

November 26: Is Hell Real? (Part 2)

November 27: What Kind of Holiday Is Thanksgiving?

November 28: What Does It Mean to Count My Blessings?

November 29: What Is Advent?

November 30: What Is an Advent Wreath?

December

December 1: What Is Heaven Like? (Part 1)

December 2: What Is Heaven Like? (Part 2)

December 3: How Is It Possible for God to Truly Love Billions of Different People?

December 4: If God Truly Loves People, Why Do Bad Things Happen?

December 5: If God Is All-Loving and All-Powerful, Why Does He Allow Evil to Exist?

December 6: Why Do People Hurt Other People?

December 7: How Can Anything Good Come Out of Pain and Suffering?

December 8: Is It True That Knowing Jesus Is the Only Way to Know God?

December 9: Do People Who Have Never Heard of Jesus Go to Heaven Too?

December 10: Does God Still Love People Who Choose Not to Believe in Him?

December 11: Can I Believe in Science and Still Believe in God?

December 12: Will I See My Pet in Heaven?

December 13: How Is It Possible to Experience Joy in Life’s Troubles?

December 14: Who Are the Magi?

December 15: Why Did the Magi Present Jesus with Gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh?

December 16: Was There Really a Star of Bethlehem?

December 17: What Is a Christmas Crèche?

December 18: What Does Gloria in Excelsis Deo Mean?

December 19: What Is the Christmas Miracle of 1914? (Part 1)

December 20: What Is the Christmas Miracle of 1914? (Part 2)

December 21: Why Do We Give Gifts at Christmas?

December 22: Why Do Some People Spell Christmas Xmas?

December 23: What Is the Difference Between Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus? (Part 1)

December 24: What Is the Difference Between Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus? (Part 2)

December 25: Is December 25 Really Jesus’ Birthday?

December 26: What Is the Parable of the Long Spoons?

December 27: What Is the Difference Between an Atheist and an Agnostic?

December 28: Is It Okay to Question and Sometimes Have Doubts About God?

December 29: What Is a Godparent?

December 30: Is It Really Possible for Mountains and Trees to Sing?

December 31: What Does Jesus Mean When He Tells Us to Be Perfect?

Index

Just for You

Dear Reader,

I am so excited that you have chosen to read this 365-day devotional! Here is why: it is very important to understand these three life-changing truths about God.

God is real.

God personally loves and cares for you.

God has a unique purpose for your life on planet Earth.

Why are these three truths so important? Because you were born to really and truly get to know God, understand how much He loves you, and discover His special purpose for your life.

This is good news! And it is the reason I wrote this devotional just for you. In case you are wondering, a devotional is a special book you read daily to help you grow closer to God. The word devotional includes the idea of being devoted or lovingly faithful to God. You may be wondering: Why, if there are 365 days in the year, are there 366 daily devotions? Because every four years, on February 29, there is an extra day—a leap day!

In this daily devotional you will learn all about our real, loving Father God; His Son, Jesus; God’s Holy Spirit; God’s Holy Word, the Bible; Christianity; faith; prayer; the church; Christian seasons, holidays, and traditions; the history of Christianity; what it means to be a Christian in today’s world; famous Christians—and much, much more! Day by day, over the course of one year, we’ll explore 366 real-life questions and answers to help you deepen your knowledge of the Bible. You will build your faith vocabulary so you can better understand and share the message of God’s love with others. Most importantly, you will establish a deep and lasting personal relationship with our living, loving Father God, through faith in His Son, Jesus.

It’s a good idea to pick ten or fifteen minutes each day—maybe first thing in the morning or at bedtime before you go to sleep—to read and think about each day’s devotional. In addition