Come, Follow Me Daily Study Guide for the week of April 13-19, 2020 covering Mosiah 1-3. For personal and/or family study of the scriptures, geared towards families with teenagers, single adults, and empty nesters.
*This is a suggested outline that coincides with the Come, Follow Me manual. There is not just one right way when it comes to studying the scriptures. Everyone should study in a way that is best for them, but I do hope that you find these outlines helpful.
**I highly suggest getting a scripture journal. Throughout the year there will be several times that I will suggest jotting something down in your scripture journal. These are also great for writing down any impressions or “Aha” moments that you might have as you study the scriptures.
***A free PDF DOWNLOAD of the Study Guide is available at the bottom of this post. Making it easy for those who’d like to print out a copy.
****SONGS – For a list of suggested songs for each day of the week, be sure and check out the new blog called Music for Latter-day Life by clicking HERE
FHE DAY
Start the week off right with a Family Home Evening that introduces what you’ll be studying during the week. Sign up for the Teach Me FHE email group and receive an FHE outline delivered right to your inbox every Sunday morning. Sign up at the bottom of this post.
WHEN I SERVE OTHERS, I AM ALSO SERVING GOD
BACKGROUND
When you hear the word king, you might think of crowns, castles, servants, and thrones. In Mosiah…you…read about a different kind of king. Rather than living off the labors of his people, King Benjamin “labored with [his] own hands” (Mosiah 2:14). Instead of having others serve him, he served his people “with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord [had] granted unto [him]” (Mosiah 2:11). This king did not want his people to worship him; rather, he taught them to worship a King greater than himself, for he understood that it is “the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth” (Mosiah 3:5). Like all great leaders in the kingdom of God, King Benjamin’s words and example point us to the Heavenly King, who is the Savior, Jesus Christ. (CFM manual, pg 58)
SCRIPTURE
READ: Mosiah 2:9-19 *Optional, cross-reference verse 17 with Matthew 25:40
QUOTE:
“By serving and lifting others … we experience the only true and lasting happiness. Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made…” -President Marion G. Romney (Conference Report, Oct. 1982, 135; or Ensign, Nov. 1982, 93)
MINI LESSON
WATCH VIDEO: The Old Shoemaker (3:27), click HERE
ACTIVITY: (Taken from Ensign, April 2020)
King Benjamin built a tower and taught his people that when we serve each other, we are really serving God.
- Build a tower. It can be a chair, an ottoman, a few boxes, etc.
- Take turns getting up on your tower and thanking someone in the family for the service they have done recently.
- Now take turns getting on the tower again and sharing with the family one way you’re going to provide service this week.
PONDER & DISCUSS
- Ponder President Romney’s quote about how serving others is the only true and lasting happiness and that “Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made.” Why do you think that is true?
- Think about a time when you followed a prompting to serve someone. How did you feel when you responded to this prompting?
- In what ways has serving others helped you draw nearer to God?
- How does it make you feel when someone serves you?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (optional)
SONG: Have I Done Any Good? featuring Alex Boye and Carmen Rasmusen Herbert
CONFERENCE TALK: What Have I Done for Someone Today? by President Thomas S. Monson
CONFERENCE TALK: The Needs before Us by Bonnie L. Oscarson
VIDEO: Know Your Why (3:38) by Michael Jr.
VIDEO: My Favorite Scripture – Ashley (0:52)
NEW ERA ARTICLE: “We Want to Serve!”
SHORT STORY & OBJECT LESSON: Mother Teresa – A Difference in the World
CONSEQUENCES OF KNOWING TRUTH BUT NOT LIVING IT
(Today’s lesson was adapted from the Book of Mormon Institute Manuals)
BACKGROUND
When a person knows what is right and does not do it, he or she not only violates the actual law, but puts himself or herself in a state of opposition to God—a serious offense in and of itself.
President Gordon B. Hinckley shared the following simple illustration of such rebellion: “I recall a bishop’s telling me of a woman who came to get a recommend. When asked if she observed the Word of Wisdom, she said that she occasionally drank a cup of coffee. She said, ‘Now, bishop, you’re not going to let that keep me from going to the temple, are you?’ To which he replied, ‘Sister, surely you will not let a cup of coffee stand between you and the house of the Lord’” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1990, 67; or Ensign, May 1990, 51).
SCRIPTURE/MINI LESSON/PONDER & DISCUSS
SCRIPTURE JOURNALS: In your scripture journals, write down 5-6 blessings you have received that you are especially grateful for.
READ: Mosiah 2:20-22
DISCUSS:
What are some things King Benjamin suggested we should be thankful for? Were any of them on your list?
In verse 22 we are given promised blessings, what does the Lord require of us so we can receive those blessings?
What blessings have you or your family received as a result of obedience to the commandments?
OBJECT LESSON: Show an object that has visible dust on its surface. Wipe your finger across the surface of the object and hold your finger up for everyone to see. Then ask the question: “Which is more valuable—the dust on my finger or me?”
READ: Mosiah 2: 25-26
DISCUSS: What do you think King Benjamin meant when he said that he and his people were not even “as much as the dust of the earth”?
READ: Mosiah 2: 34
DISCUSS:
What does it mean to be indebted to someone?
What has God provided for us?
Why is it important for you to remember that you are eternally indebted to the Lord?
SHOW PICTURE: Show a picture of Christ’s Second Coming found HERE
READ: Mosiah 2: 36-41 looking for contrasts between people who keep the commandments of God and people who do not keep the commandments.
DISCUSS:
What consequences come to people who do not obey the commandments and who do not repent?
What blessings come to those who keep the commandments?
How can feeling grateful to Heavenly Father help us be obedient to His commandments? How can ingratitude lead to disobedience?
Encourage your family to ponder their indebtedness to the Lord.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (optional)
CONFERENCE TALK: Freedom “from” or Freedom “to” by F. Enzio Busche
VIDEO: Kick Against the Pricks (4:10)
GAME: Chain Reaction
POEM: Know This, That Every Soul is Free
WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO BECOME SAINTS
BACKGROUND
VIDEO: Watch only a minute or two of the following video of kids being cute and funny, Click HERE
SCRIPTURE
Have you ever felt your heart soften as you’ve observed a child? Children often speak from the heart and express love and simple statements of faith. The Savior taught, “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as [a] little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Refer to Matthew 18:4; April 2020 Ensign)
This could be the reason King Benjamin told the people what he did in Mosiah 3:19.
READ: Mosiah 3:19
SCRIPTURE JOURNALS: Refer to Mosiah 3:19 and in your scripture journals jot down 6 words King Benjamin used to describe a childlike person. *You may title this list “To Become”
MINI LESSON
Becoming as a little child allows us to come closer to Christ and experience the joy of becoming Saints through His Atonement. There is also something else that Elder Cook has taught that we need to do in order to become Saints.
QUOTE BY ELDER QUENTIN L. COOK:
“The word saint in Greek denotes ‘set apart, separate, [and] holy’…If we are to be Saints in our day, we need to separate ourselves from evil conduct and destructive pursuits that are prevalent in the world.
“We are bombarded with visual images of violence and immorality. Inappropriate music and pornography are increasingly tolerated. The use of drugs and alcohol is rampant. There is less emphasis on honesty and character. Individual rights are demanded, but duties, responsibilities, and obligations are neglected. There has been a coarsening of dialogue and increased exposure to that which is base and vulgar. The adversary has been relentless in his efforts to undermine the plan of happiness. If we separate ourselves from this worldly conduct, we will have the Spirit in our lives and experience the joy of being worthy Latter-day Saints” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2003, 100–101; or Ensign, Nov. 2003, 95).
SCRIPTURE JOURNAL: Referring to Elder Cook’s statement, list in your scripture journal 6 things we need to separate ourselves from in order to experience the joy of being a worthy Latter-day Saint. *You may title this list “To Separate From”
PONDER & DISCUSS
How does the Atonement allow you to overcome the natural man and become more like a child?
How has Jesus Christ helped you to overcome sin? How has He helped you to change your nature and become more like a saint?
Which child-like characteristic can we focus on developing as a family?
What can we try harder to separate ourselves from?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (optional)
CONFERENCE TALK: Clean Hands and a Pure Heart by David A. Bednar
ENSIGN ARTICLE (Digital Only): Is Your Past Holding You Back? By Jeff Bates
GENERAL CONFERENCE DAY
Study a recent General Conference talk. A great way to study a conference talk is to have your own conference issue of the Ensign and a highlighter. Listen to the talk and as you listen, highlight the part(s) that stands out to you. Then after the talk, review and/or share and discuss what you have highlighted.
**I will start using April 2020 Conference Talks next month**
THIS WEEK’S TALK: The Message, the Meaning, and the Multitude By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, click HERE
SUMMARY: “The prayer of every speaker, the hope of all who sing, the reverence of every guest — we are all dedicated to inviting the spirit of Him whose Church this is, the living Christ, the Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace.” Luke in the New Testament tells of a blind man on the road to Jericho who, when hearing the crowd’s commotions, learns of Jesus passing by as the reason for the clamor. The blind man persistently cries out above the crowd’s noise until he is taken to the Savior, Who in turn restores his sight and heals him. “As in our New Testament story, those blessed with sight will recognize that, in spite of everything else this conference tradition may offer us, it will mean little or nothing unless we find Jesus at the center of it all.” Similarly, Joseph Smith rose above his day’s confusion and cacophony of competing Christian witnesses, with his seeking served as the catalyst for the First Vision. “I testify … that surely the most thrilling sight and sound in life is that of Jesus not only passing by but His coming to us, stopping beside us and making His abode with us.” “Through the incessant din and drumbeat of our day, may we strive to see Christ at the center of our lives, of our faith and of our service. This is where true meaning lies.”
*For a list of discussion questions that go along with this talk, check out these from Chicken Scratch n Sniff by Clicking HERE
CATCH UP DAYS
Do one of the days that you missed OR any of the additional resources listed.
Yours Truly,
P.S. For more Come, Follow Me resources, check out my post Your Ultimate Guide to Come, Follow Me. It lists over 100 Come, Follow Me resources that are available online starting with the church’s resources at the top. You can find it by clicking HERE.
P.P.S. Sign up here for the Teach Me FHE email group and receive FHE outlines delivered right to your inbox every Sunday morning.
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