Family Home Evening for Galatians

 Read or Summarize Galatians 5:22-26

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Lesson

Look at this picture pair, can you tell which one is fruit and which one is not? How do you know?

What about this one?

In the scripture above, we read that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Things of the Spirit are super easy to recognize when we are choosing the right and doing good things. When we choose the right, the Spirit helps us to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong, just like it was easy for you to spot the real fruit in the first group of pictures. 

Sometimes, when we don’t choose the right and listen to the Spirit, it becomes a little bit tougher to tell what is right and what is wrong. Sometimes, what is wrong tries to look like what is right. Just like in the second group of pictures 

When you walk in the Spirit, by choosing the right and praying to Heavenly Father, you will be able to overcome temptations and tell what is right and wrong.

Watch

Click the picture below to see how we did this lesson.

Family Home Evening For 2 Corinthians 8-13

 Read or Summarize 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Lesson

Often, we think that service is something big like cleaning someone else’s house, doing someone else’s yard work, visiting the elderly, or fixing someone's dinner. All of these things are great acts of service, but did you know that the dictionary defines service as “the action of helping or doing work for someone.”

The “someone” in this definition could be anyone. It could be as big as the whole world, your country, your state, your community, your neighborhood, or even as small as your house, your parents, your siblings, or your pets.

Think about it, if your mom or dad are busy, and you decide to serve them by cleaning the toys up in the family room. You just served them! The action you did was cleaning up. You helped your parents, because you did work for them. If you didn’t clean up, then they would have to do it themselves later.

If your little brother is crying and you ask him what is wrong and help him feel better, you just served your brother. The action you did was offering help and showing you cared, and the work you did was finding out a solution to the problem that made him sad.

The scriptures above teach us that God wants us to be a cheerful giver. If you complain, yell, or stomp your feet when you serve or are asked to serve, then you are not being a cheerful giver. One way that helps me to be a cheerful giver is I think of how surprised or happy I will make the person I am serving. I also think about how happy Heavenly Father is when I do nice things for His children.

Discuss 

What are some ways that you can change your thinking so that you can become a more cheerful giver?

Activity 

Think of some ways that you can serve. Think of one thing at each level of service, mentioned above (family members, home, neighborhood, community, area, and world),  and do them! As you do them, be cheerful in your service.

Watch

Click the video below to see how we did this lesson.

Family Home Evening for 2 Corinthians 1-7

 Read 2 Corinthians 6:17-18

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Activity 

Show your children the following pictures and ask them to identify which one is different from the others, in each group.

Lesson

In the first 5 groups, it was very easy to spot the different one. In the next 4 groups it was a little more difficult, the next group it was a lot harder, and by the last one, it was only a teeny, tiny, little difference. In the scripture, at the beginning of the lesson, Heavenly Father said that he wants us to “come out from among them, and be ye separate.” This does not mean that God wants us to put ourselves above others and believe that we are better than anyone else. Just like you were able to look at the pictures above and spot the difference, people will look at you and know that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, by the way you act, the things you say, and what you do. 

Here is a story that President James E Faust told in October 2005 General Conference that demonstrates this principle:

I recently recalled a historic meeting in Jerusalem about 17 years ago. It was regarding the lease for the land on which the Brigham Young University’s Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies was later built. Before this lease could be signed, President Ezra Taft Benson and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, then president of Brigham Young University, agreed with the Israeli government on behalf of the Church and the university not to proselyte in Israel. You might wonder why we agreed not to proselyte. We were required to do so in order to get the building permit to build that magnificent building which stands in the historic city of Jerusalem. To our knowledge the Church and BYU have scrupulously and honorably kept that nonproselyting commitment. After the lease had been signed, one of our friends insightfully remarked, “Oh, we know that you are not going to proselyte, but what are you going to do about the light that is in their eyes?” He was referring to our students who were studying in Israel.

What was that light in their eyes which was so obvious to our friend? The Lord Himself gives the answer: “And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings.” Where did that light come from? Again the Lord gives the answer: “I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” The Lord is the true light, “and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.” This light shows in our countenances as well as in our eyes.

Discuss

How brightly would you say that the Light of Jesus Christ shines in you? Are you like the last group of pictures where it is super hard to see, or are you like the first 5 groups of pictures where it is super easy to see? If it is not as bright, what things can you do to help it get brighter? If it does help you stand out in a crowd, then how can you continue to keep that light?

Watch

Click on the video below to see how we did this lesson

Family Home Evening for 1 Corinthians 14-16

 Read 1 Corinthians 16:3

13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Activity

Make a small circle or boundary on the ground and instruct a family member to “stand fast” inside it with his or her eyes closed (or blindfolded). Then others could try to push or pull him or her from the circle. Repeat the activity with the blindfold off. 

Discuss

What difference does it make when the person in the circle has his or her eyes open and can “watch”? What can we do to “stand strong” when we are tempted to make bad choices?

Watch

Click the video below to see how we did this lesson