Introduce kids to the Savior of sinners. This is a series of audio podcasts for kids who want to meet with Jesus by using Meeting with Jesus: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids (RHB) Listen to previous episodes here.
Let me tell you about how I met Jesus in the Bible. I was born into a Christian family. My parents took me to church and also taught me the Bible at home. However, I did not want to meet Jesus when I was young because I wanted to live my own life without him. Although I went to church, I did not listen very much to the sermons or to my Sunday school teachers. Also, sad to say, I did not read my Bible much.
It’s no surprise, then, that I did not meet Jesus. I didn’t really want to. I am not proud of that. Indeed, I am ashamed of it and often wish I could live my childhood and teen years all over again.
But Jesus did not give up on me. Even though I did not want to meet him, he wanted to meet me, and he did not give up on me. In my early twenties, my life was not going well. I was trying to live without Jesus and I was very unhappy. After some sad events in my life, I went home to my parents, and they talked to me about how I needed to meet Jesus. My mom gave me a book to help me study the Bible, and I started reading it carefully for the first time. My prayer as I opened my Bible was, “Lord, please show me Jesus.”
Jesus Lives in the Bible
Almost immediately I was amazed at how Jesus began to pop out of the pages of the Bible. The book that I had thought was so boring was now alive and exciting. I wasn’t reading a lifeless book; I was meeting a living person. Every day I learned more and more about this lovely person, Jesus Christ. As I did so, Jesus became more and more real, clear, and present to me. Soon, he was as real to me as my mom and dad!
As I read my Bible each day and met Jesus in its pages, I was sure I was hearing his voice speaking directly to me in the words I was reading. It then felt normal and natural to start speaking back to him in prayer and talking to him about my life.
Jesus Lives in Sermons
I started listening to my pastor’s sermons with new attention. Again, Jesus came alive in the sermons. I was not just listening to my pastor; I was listening to my Jesus, and I was loving him more and more—so much so that I couldn’t wait for next Sunday and started listening to recorded sermons from other preachers in my car on weekdays. I sometimes felt as if Jesus were in the passenger seat beside me chatting to me through the sermons.
Jesus Lives in Christians
I couldn’t keep all this to myself and started going to homes where I knew other Christians who loved Jesus would meet and talk about him. I listened with amazement as they spoke about Jesus as a living person in their own lives too. I had many questions, and these Christian friends patiently answered them week after week. And as they did so, it was as if Jesus were in the room with us, as one of our friends. We also memorized Scripture verses about Jesus and challenged one another to recite them. Those were such happy, happy times.
Jesus Lives Today
Now, thirty years later, Jesus is more real and precious to me than ever before, and that’s why I’m so excited for you to meet him early in life rather than wasting years like I did. I’ve therefore written this Bible reading plan to help you meet Jesus in Bible reading, in listening to sermons about the Bible, and in discussing the Bible with others.
As you work your way through this, pray, “Show me Jesus!” If you do, he will meet with you and come alive in your life in an unforgettable way.
Listen to this episode on Living the Bible podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Spotify.