Last night Becky and I had a good talk about how things have been going. I told her a little about my relapse on Thursday and Friday, and we talked about what led up to that slip-up.
It was fitting that the lesson I taught yesterday about was being tempted, about the importance of studying the scriptures, and about how to resist temptation throughout my life.
My team teacher’s last week was yesterday (he’s getting married), so I thought I’d use this morning to start preparing my lesson for next week.
The Objective of this Lesson:
To help each child feel greater love and respect for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and for sacred places.
Scriptures to Study:
John 2:13–16, Matthew 21:12–14, Luke 19:45–48, and Exodus 20:7 (and Mark 11:15–17)
We can show love and respect for Heavenly Father and Jesus by:
Our reverence in Primary and sacrament meeting.
The language we use when we pray.
The way we dress.
The way we act.
The way we speak.
Christ actually cleansed the temple of vendors and “thieves” two different times. One here (John 2:13–16) and then again nearly three years later before His crucifixion (Matthew 21:12–14 and Luke 19:45–48).
Questions to Consider
How does Jesus feel about Heavenly Father and the Temple?
…this temple was a sacred place, just as our temples and church meetinghouses are today, and Jesus wants us to respect these holy places.
What did Jesus find some people doing in the temple? (John 2:14.)
Why did Jesus drive the sellers and money changers out of the temple? What did Jesus say to them? (John 2:16; Matthew 21:13; Luke 19:45–46.)
What did Jesus do in the temple after he had driven them out? (Matthew 21:14; Luke 19:47.)
Why do you think it is important to be reverent in holy places such as homes, temples, and church buildings? For whom are we showing respect?
Who was Jesus showing love and respect for when he cast out the money changers? (John 2:16.) Why did he do this?
How can we show love and respect for Heavenly Father and Jesus at church? at home? at school? at play?
- When we are reverent during the sacrament, we are showing love and respect for Jesus and the covenants we make with Heavenly Father.
- When we listen to the talks in sacrament meeting and are reverent in Primary, we learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus and what they want us to do.
- When we pray appropriately, we are showing respect for Heavenly Father.
- When we dress modestly, we are showing that we respect our bodies as sacred creations of Heavenly Father.
- When we act the way Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to, we are showing that we believe in them and that it is important to us to do what they have asked us to do.
- When we use the name of the Lord reverently and do not misuse it, we are showing others that we respect and love him.
How do I show respect for my Heavenly Father?
If I know what I’m supposed to do and what will make me the happiest in this life and then I deliberately don’t do it, is that showing real respect and reverence for what Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ have done for me?
Why is it even important to show respect and reverence for holy things like church buildings, temples, our Heavenly Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, our parents?
I don’t know the “right” answer to all these questions, but I do know that when I go to the temple, especially when I’m in the right frame of mind, I know it’s a very special place because of the way I FEEL inside: calm, peaceful, free from worldly worries.
I’m grateful to have felt that way on a variety of occasions and hope that I can teach this to boys I’ll be sharing the lesson with.
Things I’d Like to Bring to the Lesson:
- A picture of me when I went to the temple for the first time
- A picture of a family I took to the temple on my mission (Carmen Gloria & Sebastien)
- A picture of Becky and I getting married in Nauvoo
- A picture of a family getting baptized in Chile
- A picture of a young man passing the sacrament
All these are reasons why we should treat the buildings of the Church with respect: because sacred ordinances are performed in these holy places.
Hasta manana!
Nate
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