How Parents Can Bless Their Children

Blessing the Children

Happy Sabbath!

I would like to start with a short word of prayer this morning.

One evening mother was busy fixing supper. Her little boy came up to her and gave her a piece of paper. She dries her hands on her apron and reads.

For cutting the grass: $5.00 For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00 For going to the store for you: $.50 Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25 Taking out the garbage: $1.00 The list went on. At the bottom it said, Total owed: $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen. She turned over the paper he’d written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me: No Charge

For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No Charge For all the trying times, and all the tears that you’ve caused through the years: No Charge

For all the times I wiped your nose and your butt: No Charge For all the toys, food, and clothes: No Charge Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL".

I¡¯ve often heard that you cannot really know the love of a parent until you become a parent yourself.

Is there any limit to a parents love? As a parent, would you withhold any good thing from your children? If your child needed a kidney, and you were a perfect match, would you donate one of your kidneys? I know you would. What if your child needed a heart transplant and you were a perfect match? You would give him your heart. You would give up your life so that your child could live.

You would do whatever you could so that your child can enjoy good physical health. Right? Amen! Physical health is important. But there is something more important than physical health. It is spiritual health. How much would you be willing to give for your child¡¯s spiritual health so that your child can live eternally?

Would you do as much for your child¡¯s spiritual health as you would for your child¡¯s physical health?

Our young people have sin damaged minds and sin damaged hearts. They need help. In order for them to successfully run the Christian race so they can obtain the crown of life, they need help. They need all the help they can get. God says, ¡°I want to help.¡± God says, ¡°I want to help, but I need the parents cooperation. God didn¡¯t say, ¡°I need the youth pastors help.¡± God says, ¡°I need the parents help.¡± God says to parents, ¡°If you do three things, I will bless your child.

There are three things you can do to help them.

If you do these three things, your children will be blessed spiritually. Do you want to help them? Please say ¡°amen¡± if you want to help your children.

Let¡¯s open our Bibles to Psalm 112:1-3.

(1) Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments.

The blessed man is the person who says on Friday, ¡°I¡¯m so glad another Sabbath is here.¡± The commandments are not burdensome for this person. He delights greatly in His commandments.

(2) His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Do you want your children to be blessed?

If you are godly, God will bless your children. By the way, just because you come to church does not mean that you are godly. The devil also comes to church. Let¡¯s just make sure that we are not the ones bringing the devil to church with us. You are going to like the next verse.

(3) Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.

I believe that God wants to do more than bless our children spiritually.

Let¡¯s turn one page over to Psalm 115:13-14

(13) He will bless those who fear the Lord, Both small and great.

I like the next verse.

(14) May the Lord give you increase more and more, You and your children.

Do you want God to bless you and your children?

Gospel Workers (by Ellen White) p. 206 The influence of the mother who has a close connection with Christ is of infinite worth.

Testimonies vol. 4, (by Ellen White) p. 500 The influence of a praying, God-fearing mother will last through eternity. She may die, but her work will endure.