The Blessings Children Need Most, Part 1

Very nice job, girls. We all deeply enjoyed that. They have such stage presence, don't they? It's such a young age. It's a beautiful thing to see. I would have fallen apart for sure at that age.

Well, brethren, the ceremony of the blessing of little children is a very, very meaningful one. I'm sure you would agree with me. Jesus Christ took up the little ones into His powerful arms, and He pronounced a blessing upon those children. God the Father loves children. Jesus Christ loves children. He looks at all of us as children, doesn't He? He loves each and every one of us. There really aren't that many years that separate us as a small child, as an infant, and someone who's in their 80s or 90s. When you look at eternity, we're all very young, aren't we? Very young indeed. Jesus Christ gave them what they needed that day. He gave them a blessing. A blessing from the one who could really deliver for them. Christ can do all things, and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. But my question for all of you parents and members of the Church of God here today is, what can we all do, all of us here in this room, what can we all do to bless our children? What can you do to bless your child if you're a parent? And if you aren't, or if your children are grown, what can you do to bless all the children that attend this congregation? What can we do as ambassadors for Christ to bless the children in our midst? What blessings do our children need most from us? How can you give a blessing to the children that are in this congregation? We as parents and also as loving members of God's Church can be a blessing to all the children in this room today. First and foremost, we have to recognize that and understand it. And know that you can be a blessing to each and every child in this room. What can we do? What blessings do our children need most? So if you need a title or want a title for this sermon, the blessings children need most. That's what we're going to talk about today. I'd like to share with you seven blessings that we need to be sure that we're giving our children seven blessings. First of all, our children need to see and to experience a Godly example at all times and in all ways. Let me read that again. Our children need to see and experience a Godly example at all times and in all ways. That's a tall order, isn't it? That's what we should strive to do. That should be our goal. Always give them a Godly example. Now, this does not mean a perfect example because none of us are perfect and we're not going to be perfect in the flesh. But it does mean that we better be showing them a repentant example. And the very best that we can muster at this point in our lives. We owe that to our children. They deserve that blessing from each and every one of you.

In Psalm 127, verses 1-5, let's go there for a moment. It talks about the importance of God building the house. Have you allowed God to build your house? You are the temple of God's Spirit. So have you allowed God to build your house? How strong is your house? How converted is your house? Psalm 127, verse 1, Unless the Lord the Eternal builds the house, they labor in vain.

Who build it? We can't do this of them by ourselves. We need God's help. We are truly dependent upon God. Unless the Eternal guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. There's no point watching if God isn't there to protect and to help you along the way.

It is vain for you to rise up early and to sit up late to eat the bread of sorrows, for so he gives his beloved sleep. We have to put our trust in God. We have to place our faith in Him. We have to allow God to build the house. Verse 3, Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. They are an inheritance that we inherit our children from the Eternal. God gives us these children. They are a blessing not only to the parents, but for every one of us.

And we need to look at the children in this way. They are a blessing to you. The fruit of the womb is a reward like arrows in the hand of a warrior. So are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. Now, I was told that a quiver, I read somewhere, that a quiver was essentially about nine arrows. Most of us don't have a full quiver. Back in the olden days, I guess they had a lot more children.

It's tougher these days. Although, with God's help, I'm sure it can be done, even today. But happy is the man who has his quiver full of these children. They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate. So children are to be a blessing from the eternal and an inheritance. A heritage from the eternal. Now, let's go back to Deuteronomy 6, and I know this was already referred to earlier, Deuteronomy 6. But let's read it together, and let's consider it again under this first point. Our children need to see and experience a godly example at all times and in all ways. Deuteronomy 6, and this is after God refers to his commandments.

His commandments are given in Deuteronomy 5. And he says in verse 6 of Deuteronomy 6, And these words, these commandments, which I command you today, shall be in your heart. Now, we know that we're under the new covenant, and that God is writing his laws in our hearts and in our minds. And there were a few that were yielded to God, and that God would grant his spirit, and God would call them back in those olden times.

You shall teach them diligently to your children. Teach these commandments diligently, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way. When you go outside and take them outside to play. You are to teach them diligently to your children when you lie down. You know, as you're going to bed, perhaps read to them out of the Bible, or a Bible story, and relate to them truths from God's Word. And also, when you rise up, when you get up in the morning, it should be in your mind to teach your children God's ways. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes, and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

And they should mean so much to you. They should dictate how you live your life. These commandments that God has given us, these statutes, these laws that are holy and right and good, they are the laws of liberty and truth. So, brethren, our number one priority as parents, and also members of God's Church, is to set a godly example of love, of obedience, of patience, of repentance, of forgiveness to our children.

We are called to set this example for our children. As parents and members of God's Church, we need to set the right example as adults. You know, it seems that at times we expect more from our children than we do from ourselves, or from some of our adult friends. That doesn't really make sense. We have to begin expecting more of ourselves and more of each other, because we set an example for our children. So this type of thinking needs to stop. We need to set a better example for our children.

Jesus Christ clearly hated hypocrisy, and we should hate it also, especially in ourselves. It seems that hypocrisy is much easier to detect in others than it is in ourselves. But our children are very capable. In fact, they are very keen at recognizing hypocrisy in adults. I've seen this over and over again. So we have to be very careful that we are not hypocrites, and that we surely do practice what we preach, and that we practice what we say we believe.

We need to keep the Ten Commandments not only in the letter of the law, of course, but also in the Spirit. And again, that's a tall order to learn to walk in the Spirit. But this is our calling. We are under the New Covenant.

We are to write God's laws in our hearts and in our minds, and we are to live by every word of God. It is a high and a holy calling. There is great reward in this calling, but there is also great responsibility that God expects from each and every one of us. So ask yourself, have you been producing the fruit of God's Spirit in your life? Are you producing the fruit of God's Spirit in your life? If all our children are seeing is love and joy and peace and patience and goodness and kindness and faithfulness and meekness and self-control from their parents and from all of us who profess to be God's people, then our children will indeed have the right, proper role models.

And children, it is important that you look to the people in this room. And it is important that we set the example for each and every one of them.

So what type of example have we often set in God's Church for our little ones? You know, in Matthew 18, let's go there briefly for a moment, but there's something very grave that's written here. Let's notice the context. Matthew 18.

Notice verse 1, I think oftentimes we stop right here, and we don't go on, but let's read a little further. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. That's how God looks at the example that you set. If you set a bad example for the children around you, it says it would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck. The point is being made that we really need to set a proper example for our children. Verse 7, Again, this is just graphic language to show how important it is. Not that God wants us to cut off our feet or our hands, but he does want us to see the importance of the example that we set, that we are not to offend the little ones, and we're not to set a bad example that might cause them to sin. So we must be very, very careful in regard to the example that we set for our children. And I'm speaking to parents, but I'm also speaking to each and every one in this room, because you will also be held accountable for how you deal with the children in this room.

In Proverbs 20, verse 7, it clearly says, The just man walks in his integrity, and his children are blessed after him. The just man walks in his integrity, and there is therefore a blessing that automatically comes to the children.

You know, God is looking for godly offspring. I'm not going to take the time to go to Malachi 2, but it talks about God seeks godly offspring. That's what he's looking for. He wants children in his family that want to become just like him, that want to be exactly like him and are willing to pay the price, to put sin out of their lives, to overcome, and be counted as a true child of God. Now, let's consider for a moment the question, what factors help Christian youth maintain their faith into adulthood? I know we've asked ourselves that. There are certain factors. There was a major research project called the National Study of Youth and Religion. It found the following three factors in regard to youth maintaining their faith into adulthood. Number one, the young person's parents practiced the faith in the home and in daily life. In other words, they lived Deuteronomy 6. Not just in a public church setting. Yes, we can put on a good face here at church, but how do you treat your children when you take them home? Or when they're in their car with you on the way home, in every day of their lives? The young person's parents practiced the faith in the home and in their daily life. Again, they weren't perfect. But in the Church of God context, they were repentant. That's what we need to be. We need to be repentant in how we deal with our children. If we make a mistake, if we sin and our children see that, we need to go to them and ask them to forgive us for that. We set that bad example for them. If we became angry, then we need to tell them that we're sorry for... There is a certain amount of anger that might come that's acceptable, but you typically know when you've gone too far.

And so you need to be man and woman enough to admit that to your children and tell them that you're sorry for that. That's not the example that you want to set for them. You don't want them to learn to be angry children.

A second factor that they found was that the young person had at least one significant adult mentor or friend. So that's where the rest of you come in here. It's not just the parents, but it's also friends. Friends that will mentor the children, that will set a good example for them, that will show that they care. It's important that we take these children under our wing, so to speak, and we show them we love them. And the third... well, to finish that one... The young person had at least one significant adult mentor or friend other than parents who practiced the faith seriously. In other words, they set a good example for them. And then thirdly, the young person had at least one significant spiritual experience before the age of 17. I think it's talking here about a relationship with God Himself. That's the most important thing, is that our children develop a relationship with God themselves. And so they need to know that we do pray, that we're a praying people, that we pray, that we fast, that we look to God, that we depend on Him, that we trust in Him, that we have faith in Him, and that we yield our lives to Him. That's the example children need to see each and every day of their lives. So again, teenagers are most likely to retain their Christian faith into adulthood if they have had a meaningful and healthy relationship with their parents, a faithful Christian mentor outside of the family, and also have developed a relationship with God Himself. Of course, as they become adults, they're free moral agents. Well, we're free moral agents before we're adults, obviously. We can choose what we're going to do. But as we grow older, even though a child's been taught properly, they may still make wrong decisions, and some of our children have done that. They've been taught very faithfully, but for whatever reason, they've allowed themselves to be sidetracked. This world is a seductive world. Satan is the God of this world. He's powerful. He's a roaring lion. He's seeking whom He may devour. He wants to devour our children. So we should faithfully pray that God will restore our children if they're not in the faith at this time.

We should be diligent in praying for our children, no matter what age they are, that God will restore them and bring them back to Him. So in conclusion, in regard to this study, unless there is a specific adult in a teenager's life who shows the teenager by example, and in the context of a meaningful, long-term relationship, how an adult incorporates Christian faith into their daily lives, no program, no camp, and we're good at putting on camps and having programs, but none of that will make a statistically significant difference. We had WYOU in the past, and we drove thousands of miles taking our kids to basketball games and volleyball games and various other activities, but really our track record hasn't been that great when it comes to the children sticking with the truth of God.

So these are important factors to consider, and we should do our part to teach our children the proper way to go. Secondly, another blessing. That first blessing, again, our children need to see and to experience a godly example at all times and in all ways. Secondly, our children need to have consistent standards, consistent guidelines, and consistent expectations. Consistent standards, guidelines, and expectations. In Deuteronomy 6, the standards, the guidelines, and the expectations that we have for our children should be taken clearly from God's Word. We are to live by every word of God, and there's lots of words in this book, so we have to study it, we have to make it our own, we have to put it in our minds and in our hearts, we have to teach it to our children, we have to most importantly live it. So the standards, the guidelines, and the expectations that we have for our children should be taken clearly from God's Word. Again, the Ten Commandments and the fruit of God's Spirit are the standards. Those are the standards, God's commandments, both in the letter and in the Spirit. Thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal. Remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy. Honor your parents. These are all commandments that we need to teach our children, and we also need to produce the fruit of God's Spirit in our lives. Love and joy and peace and patience and so on, these are God's standards. And we should expect our children to follow in our footsteps, to follow our example. Mr. Pritchard noted that children are pretty good in many ways about following. As they get older, sometimes they become a bit more rebellious in certain cases.

But children really are like sponges, especially when they're little children, and we are to become like little children if we are to enter God's kingdom. They're like sponges. They soak up what we teach them. So we need to teach them constantly and continually. In Proverbs 22 verse 6, we are told to train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. I think primarily what this is saying is if we train up a child in the way he should go, then hopefully he will never depart from it. Whether young or old, that he'll always follow it. Certainly if we teach them and they do depart, if they've listened, and I'm sure they have, it's inside them and they will hopefully come back one day. But our goal is to have them never leave, but to always be a part of God's church and to be faithful, because they will be blessed as they stay close to God and His church and His ways. So it is our responsibility to teach and train our children, and that training will guide them and keep them in good stead throughout their lives into old age. And they'll never depart from God's truth. Many Americans feel that kids are growing up too fast these days. You probably feel that way. When Throne Inc. surveyed 888 mothers to identify the reasons why they thought children were growing up faster these days, 75% said it was because children are being allowed to use the Internet without proper supervision. Hopefully you are giving proper supervision to your children when it comes to the Internet. 74% said it was because kids are being allowed to dress in inappropriate clothing. 63% said it was because parents, guardians, teachers, and other figures of authority are over-scheduling their kids. 59% said it was because children are being given cell phones at a very early age and probably not being monitored properly in that regard either. Also, according to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to 18 years old devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes per day to entertainment media. An average of 7 hours and 38 minutes every single day. So that's more than 53 hours a week. That's a full-time job and then some. And because they spent so much of that time doing what researchers call media multitasking, for example, surfing the Internet while listening to music, they actually managed to amass a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes' worth of media content in those 7 hours and 38 minutes. So there's a lot going into their heads, into their minds. So we have to be careful what goes in because if garbage is going in, garbage will be coming out from a spiritual perspective. So certainly we need to be diligent in that regard. We need to be careful that we allow our children to do as it will make a big difference in their lives. So we have to be actively involved with our children and what's going on in their lives. So that is the second blessing that we can pronounce upon our children. Giving them consistent standards, consistent guidelines, and consistent expectations. Thirdly, our children need love. They need it. They need love, they need acceptance. They need our patience, they need our forgiveness. Our children need our love, they need our acceptance, they need our patience, they need our forgiveness. That's a blessing when we give that to our children. If we are all focused, if all we're focused on is rules, then our children will grow up to be very rigid and very judgmental. So we have to be very careful. That's not what I'm saying today in this sermon. We must not be focused simply on rules. We have to be focused on loving our children, on accepting our children, on being patient with our children, and also forgiving our children, and of course forgiving one another.

We also certainly need to be very accepting of one another because that's the kind of example our children are going to see. If we're judgmental people and critical people, it's going to rub off on our children, and they're going to pay a price for it. So if you're a negative person, you need to stop being so negative, not only for yourself, but for your children and for those around you.

We need to love our children and practice patience every single day with them. God is a very accepting God. God is not a respecter of persons. For God so loved the world, and that means everyone in the world. He gave His only Son to die for us, to lay His life down for us. He is a very accepting God. He doesn't condone sin, but He's accepting of people. We need to be careful of the example that we said in that regard. The Creator of the universe has made people in great diversity. There's a lot of difference in how people look, for example. When I look out here, I see lots of difference in how people look. None of you look the same. We don't have any identical twins in the congregation, I don't think. Well, we see Jamie and Rebecca. They're not identical. They're sisters. They look a lot alike. But they're not identical. I don't think they're identical. Why do I get into these things? I just leave it alone. But the point I'm making is, God makes us different. And when we look around, we'll see that we're all different. Our faces are different. We look different. God loves all of us. Clearly, physical appearance is not what's really important to God. Because God made us all. That's not what's really important to Him. Physical appearance doesn't last, either, does it? As we grow older, we look different. We don't look like we did when we were 16. Right? No, we don't. We change, but God loves us no matter what. God doesn't reject people because of their looks or their quirks. Let me say that again. God does not reject people because of their looks or their quirks. People are quirky, are they not? Certain idiosyncrasies, that makes us different. God does not reject us because of our looks or our quirks. So we need to be careful how we treat one another. In a recent study, Ellen Galinski interviewed a thousand children in grades 3-12, 3rd grade to the 12th grade, and she asked them to grade their parents on a dozen scales. Overall, the parents came out with high marks from their kids. So overall, kids like their parents and think well of them. Moms had an overall GPA of 3.14. Yay, women! Moms. Dad's got an average of 2.98. Still not too bad, but not quite as good as the ladies. But anger management was most parents' Achilles heel. Anger management. How do you treat your children in terms of patience or anger? More than 40% of kids gave their moms and dads a C, D, or F for controlling his or her temper, and that's no laughing matter, is it? It's sad. It's sad.

That makes a huge impact on our children. You've got to get that under control. Anger needs to be brought under control. That is our Achilles heel.

It says, more than 40% of kids gave their moms and dads a C, D, or F for controlling his or her temper when I do something that makes him or her angry. So when the children get out of line and we respond angrily instead of patiently, I mean, you can still be angry, but you have to couple that with some patience and be careful how you treat your children. Because children are going to make mistakes. They're going to sin in certain ways. We do, and we're adults, so should we expect more of our children than we do of ourselves? So that was the worst rating on the parental report card. It was anger. Anger management.

That is the third blessing that we can pronounce upon our children. That is our love, our acceptance, our patience, and our forgiveness. How we treat them in those ways are very, very important. How we love them, how we accept them, how we're patient toward them, and how we're forgiving toward them.

Number four, a fourth blessing that we can pronounce upon our children. Our children need continual encouragement. They need continual encouragement. Now, this should be a no-brainer because we all respond better to encouragement than we do to discouragement or a critical spirit. We all respond much better to encouragement. In Ephesians chapter 4, let's go there for a moment. Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 29. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. Now, that's a high standard, isn't it? Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth. The tongue is hard to bridle, but God says you need to bridle it. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. But what is good for necessary edification? That means for building up. Something that is encouraging, that builds people up, that it may impart grace to the hearers. God is gracious. He wants us to learn to be gracious as well. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. So God has no tolerance for your anger, for your malice, for evil speaking, for wrath. God has no... He doesn't want to see that. You've got to put that out. Our children need continual encouragement. I'd like to read from...

This was actually a sermon called, The Kiss of Encouragement, given by Rod Cooper. He says, I'm strong on this quality, this quality of encouragement, because someone got excited about my progress, personally. I almost flunked the first grade. I was a terrible reader. We had three reading groups in my school. The highest group happened to be the owls. They were in the trees above everyone else. They were way up there. By the way, I saw a white, snowy-faced owl in the Bahamas.

And some others who were there did, too. It was really pretty cool. It was up in the palm trees. And it wasn't hooting, though. I wanted it to hoot a little bit. Regardless, it had a snowy, white, beautiful face. Anyway, this group was called the owls. They were in the trees above everyone else. The next group happened to be the giraffes, head and shoulders above the rest of us. I was in the third group, the Humpty Dumpty's. We were on the wall, we were off the wall, we were in the wall, and we were out. We just couldn't get it together. We struggled. My mom saw me coming home discouraged and down every day.

Probably not a good idea to put kids in the Humpty Dumpty group. I don't know if this was actually something a teacher did. I suppose stuff like this does happen. She started reading with me every night. I came home one day with a C on one of my papers, and I gave it to her. She smiled, and she started to cry. She said, oh, Rodney, I'm so proud of you. She made my favorite dinner, and she let me stay up late that night. I'm thinking, if this is what a C will do, what do you think that did for me?

It spurred me on to want to do my very best. That's what encouragement does. It makes you want to move on when you feel like quitting. That's why encouragement is so important. I didn't make it to the owls. I got to the giraffes, and I got out of first grade. Here I am. Today, my mom introduces me. This is my son. She'll put her arm around me.

This is my son, Dr. Cooper. He went on to get a PhD. Then she'll look at me and wink, just to remind me from where I've come. Moms are good that way. My mother was very encouraging. She was very accepting. She was very loving. And I know I'm a recipient of that, and it's made me a different person. It's made me a far better person. And you can have that difference with your children. You can make that kind of difference with your children. Be your very best. We should all be careful to encourage our children in pursuing their interests in things that are important to them.

What's important to your child? Do you encourage your child in the things that are important to them? We should be careful to validate our children in regards to what is important to them personally, unless, of course, it's against God's law. But as long as it isn't, then we should validate them.

We should never discourage them. In one of his books, Robert Falgham, a writer Robert Falgham, tells the story of when his daughter was a little girl, and she gave him a paper bag to take with him to work. When he asked what was in the bag, she answered, Just some stuff.

Take it with you. When he sat down for lunch at his desk that day, he pulled out the paper bag and he poured out his contents upon his desk. There were two ribbons, three stones, a plastic dinosaur, a pencil stub, a tiny seashell, some used lipstick, two chocolate kisses, and thirteen pennies.

He chuckled, he finished his lunch, and he swept everything off into the waste basket. Not a good thing to do. When he arrived at home that evening, his daughter asked him where the bag was. I left it at the office, he replied. Why? Well, she said, those are my things in the sack, Daddy. The things that I really like. I thought you might like to play with them. But now I want him back.

When she saw him hesitate, tears welled up in her eyes. You didn't lose the bag, did you, Daddy? He said he didn't, and then he said, and that he would bring the bag home tomorrow. So after she went to bed, he raced back to the office. And Falgham writes, Molly had given me her treasures. All that a seven-year-old held dear, love in a paper sack. And I missed it. I didn't just miss it. I had thrown it away. Nothing in there I needed. It wasn't the first or last time I felt like my Daddy permit was about to run out.

I went back to my office. I dumped all the wastebasket out onto my desk. The janitor came in and asked, did you lose something? Yeah, my mind! It's probably in there. When Falgham found the bag, he uncrumpled it. He filled it again with his daughter's items. Two ribbons, three stones, plastic dinosaur, dinosaur, a pencil stub, a tiny seashell, some used lipstick, two chocolate kisses, and thirteen pennies.

He took the bag home. He sat down with Molly. And he had her tell him the story of every treasure in the bank. Then he writes, to my surprise, Molly gave me the bag once again several days later. Same ratty bag, same stuff inside. I felt forgiven. Over several months, the bag went with me from time to time. It was never clear to me why I did or did not get it on a certain day. I began to think of it as the Daddy prize, and I tried to be good the night before so I could be given it the next morning.

So, kids, you might want to give your mom and dad a bag like that. In time, Molly turned her attention to other things. She lost interest in the game as she grew up. Me, I was left holding the bag. She gave it to me one morning and never asked for it back. It sits in my office still, left over from when a child said, Here, this is the best I've got.

It's yours. Take it. I missed it the first time, but it's my bag now. So we need to make sure that we make it our bag. Don't miss an opportunity to show love to your children and to encourage them. Moms should encourage their children. Dads should encourage their children. It's our job. Painter Benjamin West tells how he loved to paint as a youngster. When his mother left, he would pull out the oils and try to paint. One day he pulled out all the paints and made quite a mess.

He hoped to get it all cleaned up before his mother came back. He came and discovered the mess. That happens to me sometimes with Barbara. She comes too soon. West said what she did next completely surprised him. She picked up his painting and said, My, what a beautiful painting of your sister. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and she walked away.

And with that kiss, West says, He became a painter. With that kiss, he became a painter. A little encouragement goes a long way, people. Every day you and I are trying to paint the picture of a true Christian. That's what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to paint a masterpiece.

The picture of a true Christian. A follower of Christ in our lives through what we say and what we do. But we make messes sometimes, don't we? So children, you have to be patient with us, too. Because sometimes we make messes as adults. We're not perfect. The last thing we need is for someone to come along and say, What a mess! What we need is a kiss of encouragement. So let's kiss each other and let's do it a lot. It's vital for life and for relationships. So that's the fourth blessing that we can pronounce upon our children. It's a very important one. It's the gift of encouragement.

You know, a guy has to admit sometimes that he's got too much material to handle and still gets you out of here on time. So we've talked about four out of seven principles or blessings that we need to pronounce upon our children. Let me go through those briefly again in summary. Number one, our children need to see and experience a godly example at all times and in all ways. It's a tall order, but it's our calling. We need to do it. Secondly, our children need to have consistent standards. They need to have consistent guidelines and consistent expectations. And so that takes time on our part. We have to think it through. We have to be fully engaged as parents. If we're going to do this, we can't take it lightly. It's a very, very important job that God has given us to be a parent. Our children need to have those consistent standards, consistent guidelines, and also expectations. A third blessing that we pronounce upon our children is that they do need our love, our acceptance, our patience, and our forgiveness. They need our love. They need our acceptance. They need our patience. They need our forgiveness. And they need it every single day of their lives. Every day. Don't let a day go by. Don't let a day go by. Without loving your children, without accepting them, without being patient toward them, and without forgiving them. And that's blessing number three. And blessing number four is our children need continual encouragement. They need our encouragement. They need us to build them up and to lift them up. And our households will be so much happier if we just learn that. To always be encouraging. To lift our children up and to build them up and to show them a better way. And to set that example for them. And they will become encouraging people, too. And it will keep them in good stead throughout their lives. It's a very, very important principle. A characteristic of value to encourage one another. It's God in us. It's His courage in us. When we encourage others, we show them an aspect of who God is. God is the happy God. God is the loving God. He is the encouraging God. He's not critical. He's not condemning. He wants the very best for us. He wants to give us His kingdom. It is His desire to give every last one of us His kingdom. But we have to turn our hearts to Him. We have to really want to become like Him. So let's paint that masterpiece that I talked about a moment ago. The masterpiece of being a true Christian, a true follower of Jesus Christ. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He sets the example from Genesis 1 through Revelation, the end of Revelation. I think it's chapter 22. I shouldn't go into that, right? I could be wrong. Anyway, God wants us to set that example each and every day of our lives, the example that Christ set for us. Christ laid His life down for us. He laid His life down for His children. As married couples, the husbands are told to lay their lives down for their wives. As parents, I believe we're also to lay our lives down for our children. To lay our lives down, to sacrifice for them, to always be there for them. So today we've talked about four blessings that we pronounce, that we give to our children. Next time we'll talk about three more that are equally as important as the first four.