Have you ever wondered how to have a very special friend? God, the Creator and ruler of everything knows how. These colors tell you all about it!

Gold reminds me of Heaven, where God lives. The Bible tells us that in Heaven there is a street of gold. In the Bible, God’s book we read. “God so loved the world,,,” (John 3:16). That means God loves you! God wants you to have everlasting life. That is a wonderful new life with God that starts now and will go on forever with Him in Heaven, a beautiful, happy place.

God is pure and holy. That means God has never done or said or even thought anything wrong. He hates sin and cannot allow it into His presence. That is a big problem for you and me!

Sin is anything you think, say or do that displeases God or breaks His laws. When you tell lies or disobey your parents of hurt others, you are sinning. Every one of us is born with a “want to” to sin. It is easier for us to disobey God than to obey Him.

The Bible says, “All have sinned…” (Romans 3:23). All means every one of us, including you and me. God has said that sin must be punished. The punishment is to be separated from God now and forever.

God knew there was nothing you could do to get rid of your sin. He knew you could not be good enough to please Him. But God loves you and wants you to have a new life with Him. So He made a way for you to be forgiven.

God knew about the darkness of sin in your life. He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world as a baby. He grew to be a man. He never thought or said or did anything wrong. But God’s plan was to punish His own dear Son for all the wrong things you and I have done.

In the Bible God says “… that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). When Jesus suffered and died on the cross, He took the punishment for your sin upon Himself. He was separated from God the Father for a time so you would never have to be separated from Him. When Jesus was on the cross, He bled, and that’s why the color red reminds me of when Jesus died for us. Jesus didn’t stay dead though.

God was pleased with His Son and is so powerful that He brought Jesus back to life on the third day after He died. The Lord Jesus is alive in Heaven today and can take away all the darkness of sin, which separates you from God.

Why did the Lord Jesus die? So He could be your special friend. Jesus wants to forgive all your sin and make you clean in the sight of God. Isn’t that great?

What do you have to do? God Himself tells us in the Bible, “…Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). What does it mean to believe? It means to trust completely in the Lord Jesus as the only one who died and came alive again to take your punishment for sin. When you believe in Jesus, you will never be separated from God. Instead, you will have everlasting life! God will change you on the inside so you can have a special friendship with Him here on Earth. Then someday you will live forever with God in Heaven.

Do you believe in Jesus?

If you have believed in Jesus for the first time today, you can tell God about what you believe right now. You can talk to God just like you talk to a close friend.

Talking to God like this is called prayer. Tell God you know you have sinned and are sorry. Tell God you believe in (trust) the Lord Jesus Christ, who bled and died for your sin and came alive again. The tell God you want to live his way.

If you meant what you just told God, you have forgiveness and everlasting life with God. The Bible says so! You have been given a special friendship with God and now you can grow to love and please Him!

Green reminds me of growing. God will help you live in a different way. You will not suddenly be perfect, but God will give you the strength to keep from doing wrong things that displease Him.

When you do sin, tell God about it. He will forgive you. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

God also promises, “I will never leave you…” (Hebrews 13:5). Even when you sin, God will never leave you. But you do need to ask your loving Heavenly Father to forgive you and help you.

Use the letters G.R.O.W. to remember four things that will help you grow. Go to church or Sunday School to learn more about God. Read the Bible and pray. Obey God’s Word. Witness — tell others how they can be saved from their sin.

Ask God to help you share this message with someone else! If you believed in Jesus as your Savior today, we would love to hear from you! You can contact us (with your parent’s permission) at cefofnal@gmail.com!