Number Line

Bible Reading: Psalm 102:25-28; Revelation 1:8

Holden climbed into the back seat of the car, eager to talk about what he’d learned in math class that day. “Mom, did you know that a number line doesn’t have a beginning or an end? It’s a line with every number on it, both positive and negative. Mr. Starke told us that number lines go on forever and ever in both directions, but that’s kind of hard for me to understand.”

“One, two, three,” Millie counted out.

Holden giggled. “That’s right, Millie, good counting. But when you get as big as me, you’ll learn about negative numbers too.”

“Are you understanding negative numbers?” Mom asked.

“Well, it’s kind of confusing, but Mr. Starke said that by the end of this chapter we’ll all have a better understanding of them. He sent home a practice worksheet.”

“After dinner I’ll look over it with you,” Mom said. Holden’s little sister continued to count for the rest of the ride home.

After dinner, Dad helped Mom clean up the kitchen while Holden took Millie to her room to play. Then Dad took Millie to the living room so Mom could help Holden with his math.

“Did you finish?” Dad asked when Holden and Mom came in a little later.

Holden nodded. “All done, and I think I understand my math a little better now. Number lines don’t have a beginning or end because you can always count higher in either direction from zero, with positive numbers going forward and negative numbers going back.”

Dad nodded. “Did you know that God doesn’t have a beginning or an end? Your number line made me think about that this evening.” Dad took out his phone and looked up a verse. “In Revelation 1:8 God says, ‘I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come–the Almighty One.'”

“I think I get it,” said Holden. “Since we were created by God, we have a beginning, but God doesn’t have a starting point because He always existed.”

“That’s right,” said Mom. “And the story doesn’t stop there. God promises us eternal life if we accept His free gift of salvation, which means we will live forever with Him.”

“That’s so cool!” Holden exclaimed.

“One, two, three!” Millie shouted out.

“Good counting, Millie,” Holden said, and everyone laughed.

–Lisa Fuller

How About You?
Did you know that God has no beginning and no end? That can be hard for us to understand because we were all created by God and have a starting point, but God wasn’t created. He always was and always will be, and He offers us eternal life with Him. If we put our trust in Jesus, we will live with Him forever, and our joy will never end! (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today’s Key Verse:
“I am…the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come–the Almighty One.” (NLT)
(Revelation 1:8)

Today’s Key Thought:
God has no beginning or end