God Bless The Children

BUT WHAT IF IT DID HURT THEM? What if it started them on the road to become a drunk? That would be pretty bad advice, wouldn’t you say?

Sometimes we well-meaning parents give our children bad advice and a bad example. But Jesus wants all children to come to Him! After all, they belong to Him in the first place!

PROP.- In the light of VBS and life in general, we must bless the children. They are the hope of the world. How do we bless them?

1- Attend to them

2- Pray for them

3- Model for them

I. ATTEND TO THEM

Mark 10:14 “Let the little children come to me…” Jesus paid attention to children and so must we.

ILL.- Have you ever heard of the Sitton Truck lines out of Joplin, MO? A man by the name of Dave Sitton started the Sitton truck lines. Here’s the lowdown.

Sitton Motor Lines was born on the Fourth of July, 1979, in Joplin, Missouri. David L. Sitton and his two sons, Richard and Michael, celebrated the nation’s freedom by turning a long-time dream of starting their own trucking company into a reality. Combining their nearly 50 years of experience and their life savings, the Sittons began serving 13 states with five owner operator tractors, 50 new trailers, and a deep faith in God.

A deep faith in God. Yes, they are Christians. And how do I know about them? Here is how. Dave Sitton, who went to be with the Lord in 1994 at the age of 66 years, used to drive a truck with the same outfit my dad drove for. I knew Dave when I just a little kid, probably 4 or 5 years old, maybe older.

Dave used to come over to our house and visit with dad and mom. Dave would also talk to me, tease me, play with me, and rub my legs when they hurt. He also had a nickname for me. He called me “Hard Rock.”

I thought very highly of trucker Dave Sitton. DO YOU KNOW WHY? Because he paid attention to me. Even though he teased me, I felt like he cared about me and that he loved me. And all children need this kind of attention.

ILL.- A father of four boys came home to find them all engaged in something of a free-for-all. Addressing his remarks to the most aggressive of the four, he asked, “Butch, who started this?” “Well, it all started when Harold hit me back,” exclaimed Butch. Children will be children.

ILL.- In a Peanut’s cartoon Lucy addressed Snoopy: “There are times when you really bug me, but there are also times when I feel like giving you a hug.” Snoopy replied, “That’s the way I am, huggable and buggable.”

And that’s some children as well. Some are very huggable but many are buggable. However, they all need attention.

Pay attention to them – play with – listen to – look at – touch – tease - hug – hold – kiss – bless.

No connection with children means no attention and no affection. No attention, no affection also means no positive influence.

II. PRAY FOR THEM

Mark 10:16 “And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”

Certainly some children require more “hands on” them than others but all children need to be blessed by us. What did Jesus do to bless? Perhaps he said, “I bless you.” That’s like saying, “God bless you.” And I supposed we should be saying those words to all children as well, as in, “God bless you, honey.”