Come, Follow Me Daily Study Guide for the week of May 11-17, 2020 covering Mosiah 18-24. 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. OR you can add Melanie’s Library to your mobile device home screen by following these instructions, click HERE
****SONGS – For a list of suggested songs for each day of the week, be sure and check out the 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.
GOD’S PEOPLE SHOULD BE UNITED
BACKGROUND
As Alma and his people discovered, following Jesus Christ sometimes means leaving a familiar way of life for something new and different. But Alma’s people drew strength from each other as part of “the church of Christ” (CFM manual)
VIDEO: Why is the Sabbath Day Needed? (2:09), click HERE
SCRIPTURE
READ: Mosiah 18: 17-29
MINI LESSON
OBJECT LESSON:
- You will need several sticks (popsicle sticks or toothpicks work)
- Hold up one stick and ask for a volunteer to break the stick. (The volunteer should be able to break it easily)
- Then put two sticks together and ask the volunteer to break both sticks together. (Continue this process until there are too many sticks for the volunteer to break all at the same time)
- Lesson learned: Individually we are weak, but together we are strong.
ASK: What does this object lesson have to do with members of the church coming together to worship? Why do you feel the Lord wants us to gather together? (Some answers may include to strengthen each other, to learn from each other, and to encourage each other)
QUOTE BY ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON:
In the Church we not only learn divine doctrine; we also experience its application. As the body of Christ, the members of the Church minister to one another in the reality of day-to-day life. All of us are imperfect; we may offend and be offended. We often test one another with our personal idiosyncrasies. In the body of Christ, we have to go beyond concepts and exalted words and have a real “hands-on” experience as we learn to “live together in love.” (Why the Church, Conference October 2015)
What does this quote mean to you?
PONDER & DISCUSS
Why do you think in verse 27 Alma commanded his people to “impart of their substance, every one according to that which he had”?
QUOTE BY ELDER MCCONKIE:
Unless and until members of the Church give freely of their means for the support of their less fortunate brethren, they do not develop those attributes of goodness and godliness which prepare them for a celestial inheritance (McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary)
READ: Mosiah 18:30
What places have special meaning to us because of the spiritual experiences we had there?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (optional)
CONFERENCE TALK: Our Hearts Knit as One
CONFERENCE TALK: Why the Church
CONFERENCE TALK: We Have Great Reason to Rejoice
NEW ERA ARTICLE: 6 Reasons We Really Do Need the Church!
BLOG ARTICLE: Why Do I Need to Attend Church?
GOD CAN MAKE MY BURDENS LIGHT
BACKGROUND/SCRIPTURE
READ: Mosiah 19: 1-15
The Lamanites end up breaking their peace treaty. Find out why by watching the following video.
VIDEO: Why Did the Lamanites Break Their Treaty with King Limhi (1:17), Click HERE
MINI LESSON
In Mosiah chapters 21-24 we read of both Limhi’s people who fell into bondage and we also read of Alma’s people who fell into bondage, although for different reasons and in different circumstances. (Alma and his people were put into bondage when a group of Lamanites found them as they were searching for the land of Nephi.)
Read through the following chart and note the differences between what happened to Alma’s group, who voluntarily repented, and Limhi’s group, who were compelled to repent. (You may wish to print it out or show it on your computer or TV screen)
(Taken from the Book of Mormon Institute Student Manual)
READ: Mosiah 21:11-16 and 24: 10-15 to compare the captivity of Alma’s people and Limhi’s people
PONDER & DISCUSS
In verse 16 why did Limhi’s people begin “to prosper by degrees”?
In the Book of Mormon Study Guide Start to Finish it says:
According to the previous verses in this account, the Lord was slow to answer the prayers of Limhi and his people because of their iniquities. Consider the challenging situation if these developing converts were immediately blessed with all that they desired, including freedom and abundance. Would their faith have continued to grow as steadily as it did? How might we apply Mosiah 21:16 to our own lives today?
(OPTIONAL) Elder Orson F. Whitney once taught: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God…and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” (cited in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle)
Does it help to know that the trials you experience are for a reason? How has your faith been strengthened by your trials?
(OPTIONAL) Elder Richard G. Scott has taught: “Problems or trials in our lives need to be viewed in the perspective of scriptural doctrine. Otherwise they can easily overtake our vision, absorb our energy, and deprive us of the joy and beauty the Lord intends us to receive here on earth. Some people are like rocks thrown into a sea of problems. They are drowned by them. Be a cork. When submerged in a problem, fight to be free to bob up to serve again with happiness…When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you.” (Conference Report, April 1996)
In what ways have you found happiness in the midst of your trials?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (optional)
CONFERENCE TALK: The Power of Deliverance By Elder L. Tom Perry
CONFERENCE TALK: We Never Walk Alone By President Thomas S Monson
VIDEO: How Can We Stop the Cycle of Revenge?
I CAN TRUST THE LORD
BACKGROUND/SCRIPTURE
(Taken from Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families)
Even though they had repented of their sins, Alma and his people still found themselves in bondage.
READ: Mosiah 23: 21-24 and ask what reasons are given in these verses as to why the Lord let Alama’s righteous people be put in bondage.
READ: Mosiah 11:23 and ask if Alma and his people repented when Abinadi first warned them to.
READ: Mosiah 12:1-2 and discuss what this teaches us about the Lord’s warnings and promises.
MINI LESSON
SHARE QUOTE: Elder Neal A. Maxwell explains 3 reasons why affliction or suffering may come into our lives:
- “Some things happen to us because of our own mistakes and our own sins…”
- “Still other trials and tribulations come to us merely as a part of living….We are not immunized against all inconvenience and difficulties nor against aging….”
- “There is another dimension of suffering and other challenges that come to us even though we seem to be innocent. These come to us because an omniscient Lord deliberately chooses to school us: ‘Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea he trieth their patience and their faith’ (Mosiah 23:21).” (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, pp. 29-30)
Which of those reasons helps explain why Alma’s people were placed in bondage?
VIDEO: The Will of God (3:02), click HERE
PONDER & DISCUSS
Referring to the quote by Elder Maxwell, think of trials in your life, are they because of 1, 2, or 3?
What promise has the Lord made to those who put their trust and faith in him when faced with trials and challenges? (See Mosiah 23:22)
Trusting in God includes trusting in God’s timing. Why does the Lord allow us to suffer when he could immediately rescue us?
Read Mosiah 24:16 and ponder on a quote given by David Butler from Don’t Miss This regarding the phrase “for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage”:
“…Often in our lives, we have to wait until the morrow before we experience, see, or recognize the Lord’s blessings and miracles for us. During these times of waiting in my own life, I have discovered that who we become while we wait is more important to Him than getting our answers or solutions right away. The trust we gain, the reliance on Him, the patience that grows, these are all blessings that come only as we wait until the morrow.”
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (optional)
VIDEO: Bearing Our Burdens with Hope (8:46)
CONFERENCE TALK: I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee
BOOK: The Uses of Adversity by Carlfred Broderick (A chapter out of his book My Parents Married on a Dare and Other Favorite Essays on Life. Excellent! I highly recommend it – short, easy read)
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.
THIS WEEK’S TALK: Come and Belong By Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, click HERE
SUMMARY: The Lord’s church is structured to provide opportunities to practice the fundamentals of discipleship. “Actively participating in the Church of Jesus Christ and its great variety of opportunities will help us to be better prepared for life’s changing circumstances, whatever and how serious they may be.” All of God’s children are invited to join in this great endeavor. Everyone is invited to come and see, come and serve, and to come and belong. Everyone is invited to read the Book of Mormon, visit ComeUn- toChrist.org and meet with missionaries. “In the Church of Jesus Christ, you will find a family of people who are not so different from you.” The Savior’s embrace extends to all; He cares deeply about every one of God’s children,
no matter their circumstances and even if they reject Him. “There is no threshold of perfection you must attain in order to qualify for God’s grace.” Heavenly Father doesn’t micromanage His children. Instead, He allows them to learn from their mistakes. “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died so that our mistakes might not condemn us and forever halt our progress.” God uses imperfect people to bring about His purposes. “This truth stands as a testimony that it is God’s power, not man’s, that accomplishes His work on the earth.” Everyone has a crucial part to play in the restoration, which is to love and serve God and His children. “As you do so, God will encircle you with His love, joy and certain guidance through this life, even under the most serious circumstances and even beyond.”
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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