Join Ben in this second book as he discovers how to know God by exploring the life of Jesus. Learn about prayer, how faith works, what it means to be a light, how to find God's path for your life, Jesus' existence in history, and much more!
Hidden Treasure Quest is an engaging and in-depth book series for ages 9 to 14 that focuses on helping kids develop their own personal relationship with the Lord through knowledge of God's Word.
Knowing God Through Jesus is book two in the Hidden Treasure Quest series. Visit the Hide and Seek Ministries' website to learn more about the series.
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Book Excerpt, Copyright 2019.
Introduction: A Note From Ben
I can still remember the frustrated look on my dad's face after we had been driving for hours in his old red truck. My dad didn't see the need for the map that was tucked away in the side of his briefcase. He was convinced he knew where he was going. But after driving for three hours, I heard my dad sigh and he slowed down to a stop.
"I don't remember this fork in the road," my dad said with that frustrated look I remember so well. He pulled off to the side of the road and stared out the window at what lay ahead. I watched several cars drive by us. Most of the cars continued to drive down the bigger of the two roads without even hesitating. This road was much wider than the other and was by far the busiest. It looked like it could hold hundreds of cars at once.
It took several minutes before I finally saw a car drive down the second smaller road, and I wondered why there weren't many people traveling in that direction. After the cars made their choice of road, you could only see them for a few more seconds before they disappeared over the top of the hill.
"Should I get the map, Dad?" I asked as I glanced behind his seat at his black briefcase. "Maybe that smaller road doesn't lead to anything important since not very many are driving that way." But my comments didn't seem to help. He still had that look on his face, and he started tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
After a few more minutes, he reached for his phone to check the signal again. We had not had phone service for the past hour, and I don't think that was helping my dad's mood. He let out another sigh and started fumbling with his briefcase until he found the right pocket. My dad needed a map. In fact, we all need a map.
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You will make millions of decisions during your lifetime. But the most important decision you will ever make is whether you will take the wide or narrow road......
To follow Jesus down the narrow road you need a map just like Ben's dad did. Your map is the Bible. A map helps you see which way to go, and that's exactly what the Bible does. The Bible is God's way of helping you follow Jesus down the narrow road.
Notice no one forced Ben's dad to take the narrow road on that trip they took. And no one will force you to follow Jesus. It is your choice. Following Jesus, and going on the narrow road, is not always easy. And it is definitely not always popular. But as you avoid that busy, wide road, you will find how great it is to be different. And the good news is you do not have to be perfect to do this....
In this book, we will be talking about this narrow road as your "path". God has a special path planned just for you, and He wants to help you follow it.
