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This is the audio from the October 9, 2022 sermon, “Loving the Children: BLESS Them!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  Mark 10:13-16

It seems the disciples thought Jesus was too important, and the children too unimportant, for Him to give them any of His attention.  It is important to realize that Jesus valued all people and seemed to pay special attention to those who were often pushed aside as being unimportant.  When we look at how Jesus loved children, we can learn to love children as we  . . .

• Believe In Them.
  • Believing in someone changes nearly everything about how we interact with them.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, it communicated His belief that they were important and valuable.
• Love Them.  
  • Loving someone with a love that is real involves looking out for their needs above our own.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, it communicated His love for them as He took them in His arms and accepted them.
• Encourage/Equip Them.
  • Encouraging someone involves a decision to be involved in their life in a way that helps them where they are and helps them get to where they need to be.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, it provided affirmation that helped them to grow as individuals.
• See Them.
  • Truly seeing someone will require us to turn our attention away from self so that we really notice who they are.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, it made it clear that they had been seen and were wanted.
• Serve Them.  
  • Serving others will require us to love in a way that seeks to understand what they need.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, He brought them close to Himself in order to serve them with a recognition of their value.

Today, how will you BLESS the children of any age, including your age?