CFM Devotionals: Week of 12/31/2018

Here are the devotionals and FHE for the week of 12/31/2018.  Click HERE to get this week’s lessons as a PDF. 

Family Home Evening

Song

Faith, Children’s Hymbook

Lesson

• Jesus taught that we need to be ready to listen to the gospel and receive it when we hear it.
• Read Mathew 13:3-8 (different types of ground where the seeds fall.)
• Matthew 13:23 Good ground is those who hear the gospel, understand it and do good works.

Activity

Go outside. Throw some seeds and see where it lands. Talk about how they think the seeds will grow in different ground.

Treat

Dirt cake

Devotionals

Remember that these are guidelines for you to use!  Don’t feel as though you have to use every single question, journal entry, or activity.  Make sure you look at the activity in advance so you can gather any materials they may require.

Here is a general outline for each devotional:

• Start by singing the song together and saying a prayer
• Read the scripture together, and then have a discussion about it using the questions/comments provided
• Take a few minutes to trace the journal entry question and draw a picture of the answer
  • To get the full-size journal entry, just click on the picture and print
• Have fun together with the activity!

Modifications for older children:

• Explore the footnotes for each of the scriptures listed
• Ask additional discussion questions found in the Personal Study section of Come, Follow Me – For Individuals and Families
• Instead of printing the journal entry and answering it with a drawing, create a study journal (a simple spiral notebook will work) to answer the question with a few sentences or paragraphs, depending on the child’s age.

Monday

Song

Come Follow Me

Scripture

Matthew 19:16-22

Discussion

• What did the rich young ruler want to know?  What was Jesus’s answer?
• Does this mean we have to give up all of our money?  What kinds of things does God ask us to give up to follow Him?

Activity

Coloring page

Journal Entry

 

Tuesday

Song

Teach Me to Walk in the Light

Scripture

John 7:17

Discussion

• I am responsible for my own learning
• Listen and then go try it.
• How do you learn a new game? Are you excited to go play it? Can you be be excited to try something new in the gospel? (Like being nice to someone or inviting someone to church)

Activity

Play Simon Says

Journal Entry

 

Wednesday

Song

I Want to Be a Missionary Now

Scripture

Matthew 25:1–13

Discussion

• What is a testimony? Why do I need one?
• Story of the 5 wise virgins and the wedding. The oil was their testimony. Those who didn’t have a testimony could go to the wedding. When things are hard if we don’t have a testimony we will miss out on blessings.

Activity

Make oil lamp

Journal Entry

 

Thursday

Song

Search, Ponder, and Pray

Scripture

Luke 11:9–13

Discussion

• I need to know the truth for myself – what I need to do to gain my own testimony.
• Where does your testimony come from?

Activity

Testimony flowers

Journal Entry

 

Friday

Song

Teacher, Do you Love Me?

Scripture

Alma 5:45–46

Discussion

• What should I do when I have questions?
• Does Heavenly Father always tell us the answer right away?
• Having a question is like trying to put together a puzzle. God knows everything, but he won’t put the puzzle together for us.  He will, however, give us a picture of what it should look like to help us along the way.

Activity

Put together a puzzle.

Journal Entry

 

Sunday

Use Sundays for a time of reflection; share what you discussed that day in each of your classes.  Did you learn anything new or hear a different perspective about what you studied this week?

If you went to a class that did not use the Come, Follow Me Manual, then share what stood out to you the most in your class.

Take a few minutes to talk about what parts of Sacrament Meeting you felt like were meant for you.

Discuss the sacrament, including some of the following questions:

• What did you think about while the sacrament was being passed?  How did you focus on the Savior during that time?
• Which baptismal covenants are you focused on improving during the week?
• What can you do during the upcoming week to help you prepare to partake of the sacrament in the following week?

Consider reading the following quote by Elder David B. Haight from his talk The Sacrament from April 1983.:

The weekly opportunity of partaking of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is one of the most sacred ordinances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is further indication of His love for all of us. Associated with the partaking of the sacrament are principles that are fundamental to man’s advancement and exaltation in the kingdom of God and the shaping of one’s spiritual character. We should reflect in our own weekday conduct the spiritual renewal and commitments made on Sunday. We may fail to recognize the deep spiritual significance this ordinance offers to each of us personally. Is it possible that a casual attitude on our part of routine formality of this sacred occasion might deaden our opportunity for spiritual growth?

Primary Assignment:

The Come, Follow Me – For Primary manual contains a section in each week’s lesson entitled “Encourage Learning at Home.”  Here is this week’s invitation:

How can you encourage children and their parents to learn from the New Testament at home? For example, you could encourage the children to memorize one of the scriptures you discussed in class (it might help to break the scripture into short phrases) and share the verse with their families.