To My Grandchildren: A Faith-Based Book

By Stephen Bostic

I know that there are many things we would like to share with our grandchildren, but they always seem so busy and in today's world their eyes are focused on the "screen" and their little fingers are reacting to the visual stimulus. I kept asking my wife, "What are we going to do?" There is so much more we want to share with them, if only we could get their attention. One night, as I lay awake in bed thinking of them and this dilemma, the Holy Spirit asked me, "Why not write a book telling your grandchildren what you would like most to share with them? And if it is good for them, it would be good for all grandchildren. You are to title this book, To My Grandchildren." So are you ready, grandchildren? Here is what I want to share with you and the impact it has had in my life. I can assure you, if you listen and learn, you too will be blessed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098021214

Book preview

God’s Way or Man’s Way?

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

—Romans 1:20 (NLT)

Grandchildren, remember this, there are two ways: God’s way and man’s way. Man’s way is always based on what he observes, physical evidence. An example of this is time, very important to man. For thousands of years, man has observed the earth’s rotation with respect to the sun from solar noon to solar noon. This is a solar day and is divided into twenty-four hours. Man has been studying this for about three hundred years. But what keeps the planets and the sun in perfect alignment, including the position of the stars, with respect to this rotation? This is the real question that man does not have an answer for. So what does God say about all of this?

Then God said, "let the lights appear in the sky to separate the day from night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth." And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. Genesis 1:14–16 (Fourth day: heavenly bodies)

God does not need time. God put time in place for man. Man, nor any other force in nature, can maintain or control this. What holds the sun, planets, and stars in place is that invisible quality, God the creator’s eternal power and divine nature referenced in Romans 1:20, and we can clearly see this. This is also evident in God’s word where two events are recorded where God does change this order thus changing time. Lets look at Joshua chapter 10:12–14 (KJV):Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of man: for the Lord fought for Israel.

The second event is recorded in 2 Kings 20: 9–11 (NLT):

Isaiah replied, This is the sign from the LORD to prove that he will do as he promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps?

The shadow always moves forward, Hezekiah replied, so that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead. So Isaiah the prophet asked the LORD to do this, and he caused the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!

These ten steps were about forty minutes in total time. Now, grandchildren, can you show me in any other book known to man where man has changed the sun and planet rotation to change time? So I conclude that since God created the sun, planets, and stars and controls their positions that God is in control. Thus lesson number one, God is in control, not man!

Let me share another example from God’s Word that teaches us that God is in control. Let’s examine the book of Job found in the Old Testament. The following is my summary of the book of Job.

Job chapter 1:

The angels came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan the accuser (one who blames someone for doing something wrong) came with them. The Lord asked Satan where he came from. Satan replied from the earth where he had been watching everything that was going on. So God asked Satan if he noticed his servant Job? God then stated that Job was the finest man on all the earth, one who feared God and would have nothing to do with evil. Satan said Job worshiped God only because he protected him. Let me take away his wealth and he will curse you to your face. God agreed with one condition; he was not allowed to harm Job physically. So Satan caused circumstances that resulted in Job losing all his cattle and his servants and even his sons and daughters. But Job did not curse God.

Job chapter 2:

The angels came again to present themselves before God and Satan was among them. God reminds Satan that Job was faithful even with the loss of his wealth and children. But Satan says, Skin for skin, a man will give anything to save his life. Let me touch his body with sickness and he will curse you to your face. God allowed this on one condition: Satan was to spare Job’s life; he could not kill Job. So Satan struck Job with a terrible case of boils from head to feet. Job took a broken piece of pottery to scrape himself and he sat in ashes. Job’s wife accused God of doing this