The Lord is not interested in our "lip service".

This week's scripture is going to build a little off of last week's scripture. Let's first look at last week's scripture,

2NE9:28-29

O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.

But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.
We discussed what the difference was between being learned and being wise, and we discussed why those who were learned, but not wise, would perish, and what we need to do in order to be wise.

This week's scripture is:

Isaiah29:13-14

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

What does the first verse mean?

Have you ever heard the term “lip service”? It's when people say one thing, what they think you want to hear, but then do another. It's not honest and usually those kinds of people can't really be trusted.

What is the “marvelous work” that Heavenly Father is going to do? How can we be a part of that work? Are we already?

Why will the “wisdom of their wise men perish and the understanding of their prudent men be hid?”

Last week we talked about how some people are choosing not to follow God's counsel right now. Some are hurting or angry, some have been led astray and don't know any better, and some are just downright belligerent. In the early days of the church, William Law said, “If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.” Ironically, William Law later left the church over a dispute with another church member. But what he said is still true. When people choose to put something else before living the gospel and being true to the covenants they've made, no matter what the reason, they are choosing something else before the Kingdom of God, and in the end, that is all that will matter, that they did not choose the Kingdom of God first.

Last week, we discussed how we could strive to be wise as we sought after learning and education. This week, my challenge is for us to focus on not giving the Lord “lip service”. Let's focus on being honest and true to what we believe and what we say, especially in regards to our faith and the Lord. Let's commit to put the Kingdom of God first in our lives.

End by inviting family members to share their testimony.

"But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God."

Here is the lesson I've prepared for our FHE tonight, along with the scripture we will be ponderizing this week...

Suggested Opening Hymn: The Wise Man and the Foolish Man

Begin by sharing the scripture our family will be ponderizing this week:

2NE9:28-29

O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.

But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

• Why do you think this scripture starts out by saying “O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men!”
• What does it mean to be learned?
• What is the difference between being learned and being wise?
• How can someone who is smart be foolish? Why would they perish because of it?

What are some examples we see of the vainness, frailities, and foolishness of men?

So, does this mean we should not try to be smart?

“But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.”

Share the this story about Andrea in your own words...

• Was Andrea “learned”?
• Would you say she was foolish or wise?
• Why was she wise?

What are ways that we can ensure that we are being wise as we seek to learn more and become smarter?

Encourage family members to ponderize 2 NE 9:28-29 and to strive to do the things that will make us wise as we continue to learn and grow.

Created in the Image of God and Given Dominion

I had forgotten to note that we would be gone last week, so we would be ponderizing the last scripture for two weeks, instead of just one.

This week's, FHE lesson:

Introduce this week's scripture.

Genesis1:26-27:

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

What does it mean to be made after the likeness of God?

“God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and … if you were to see Him today, you would see Him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man.”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 40.

Often, children look like their parents. Has anyone told you that you look like your mom? Or even sometimes that something you do, maybe a face you make, is like your dad? If we are children of Heavenly Father, doesn't it make sense that we would look like Him?

“The recognition of a power higher than oneself does not in any sense debase; rather, it exalts. If we will but realize that we have been created in the image of God, we will not find Him difficult to approach. … This knowledge, acquired through faith, will bring inner calm and profound peace.”

President Thomas S. Monson, “The Lighthouse of the Lord,”Ensign, Nov. 1990, 95–96.

What does “dominion” mean?

“The earth and all things on it should be used responsibly to sustain the human family. However, all are stewards—not owners—over this earth and its bounty and will be accountable before God for what they do with His creations.”

“Environmental Stewardship and Conservation,”mormonnewsroom.org; see also Doctrine and Covenants 104:13–15.

When someone asks you to watch something that belongs to them, does that give you the right to do whatever you want with it?  Recently, friends asked Cadi to stay at their home and watch their dog while they were out of town.  Did she have the right to paint their walls, change their furniture, throw a party, and make a big mess? Even though they put her in charge? She was given dominion over their home and dog while they were gone, but that didn't mean she owned them. It's like that for us here on earth. We have been made stewards of the earth (we've been put in charge of it), but it is not ours.    We should make responsible decisions and do our best to care for it well.

What do we learn from verse 27?

“All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity.”

The First Presidency, “The Origin of Man,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, 78; Ensign, Feb. 2002, 29.

“Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 2010, 129.

What are some things we can do to be better stewards?

What can we do to show Heavenly Father we are grateful for our bodies and that we are created in His image?

Close with testimonies.

For Unto Us a Child Is Born

This week we celebrate Christmas and the birth of the Savior. And so, for this week, our “ponderizing” scripture will be Isaiah 9:6,

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Here are my FHE lesson plans:

What does this scripture mean to you?

“Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given..”

He was sent here for us. He is a gift from our Heavenly Father to us.

“The government shall be upon his shoulder...”

In the Dec 2009 New Era, it says, “In ancient Israel, the priests and kings were clothed with a robe and wore the insignia of their office on the shoulder (see Isaiah 22:21–22). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came “as one having authority” (Matthew 7:29). And He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords during the Millennium, when “he reigns whose right it is to reign” (D&C 58:22; see also Articles of Faith 1:10).”

What are some of the names he is called? Why is he called them? What do these names for him teach us about him?

Have each person in the family choose one of these names (it is okay if more than one person chooses the same one) and ponder on how Jesus Christ can be that name for them personally. 

 Encourage them to share their thoughts & testimony. 

 Encourage each person to study and ponder that role that Christ plays in their life during this week as we celebrate Christmas.

Choose You This Day

This week's FHE lesson is really simple.  We are "ponderizing" Joshua 24:15 this week, so we'll be discussing that scripture and what it means.  Some of the points we'll discuss are:

• Note that the people that Joshua is talking to are still holding on to old traditions, worshiping many gods.  We cannot serve two masters.  We cannot serve the Lord and also serve other gods.  If we are choosing to serve other gods, we are choosing NOT to serve the Lord.
• What are other gods we might "serve" today?
• Money
• Success
• Popularity
• Laziness
• Selfishness
• Who does our family choose to serve?
• How can we show that we choose to serve the Lord?

I've printed these handouts for each person in our family - in size 3x5, back to back, on cardstock.  After each family member completes the write-in portion, we will laminate them so they can be used as bookmarks. 

To download these free files, go to this website.

We'll end the lesson by sharing testimonies.

"Then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me..."

Here is this week's FHE lesson:

Introduce this week's scripture:

Exodus 19:5-6

“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

“And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

Let's break this down...

“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant...”

Every saving ordinance is accompanied by a covenant, including baptism and temple ordinances. What are some of the promises we make through the covenant of baptism, which we renew when we take the sacrament?

• Take upon us the name of Christ.
• Always remember Him.
• Serve Him and keep His commandments.
• Bear one another's burdens.
• Mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.
• Stand as witnesses of God at all times, in all things, and in all places.

“...then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.”

What does it mean to be a peculiar treasure unto Heavenly Father?

In the Feb 1997 Ensign, then Elder Russell M. Nelson said:

“In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term from which peculiar was translated is cgullah, which means ‘valued property,’ or ‘treasure.’ …

“With that understanding, we can see that the scriptural term peculiar does not mean ‘queer’ or ‘odd’ at all. It signifies ‘valued treasure,’ ‘made’ or ‘selected by God.’ Thus, for us to be identified by servants of the Lord as his peculiar people is a compliment of the highest order. …

“… These are [the] latter days. … We are the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We are, in fact, the hope of Israel. We are God’s treasure, reserved for our particular place and time.” (A More Excellent Hope)

“And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests...”

The church is referred to as a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), and those who will inherit the celestial kingdom are referred to as “priests and kings” (D&C 76:56).

This means that individuals and families who keep covenants can receive all of the ordinances and blessings of the priesthood and be exalted in the celestial kingdom with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

“...and an holy nation...”

BibleDictionary, Holiness: “According to the [Old Testament] things or places were holy that were set apart for a sacred purpose. ... The Israelites were a holy people because they stood in a special relationship to Jehovah. … The word holy... came to refer to moral character. ...Israel must be holy in character because the God of Israel was holy.”

“These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

Who are the children of Israel?  (We are.)

So who is this scripture for?  (Us)

What can we do to show Heavenly Father that we want to be part of His “peculiar” people?

Encourage family members to ponderize Exodus 19:5-6 and close with testimonies.

And this is life eternal...

I am late posting this, but here is what we did for FHE this week:

We had spent 2 weeks "ponderizing" D&C 78:19 so we started this week by discussing some of our experiences and feelings about that.

Then I introduced our scripture for this week: John 17:3:

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

During our very first ponderizing scripture FHE lesson, we had discussed this a little bit, so it was kind of a refresher.  But this time, we continued the discussion deeper.  We also read John 17:20-23:.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

We determined that to "know Jesus Christ" is to become one with him, in the same way that he is one with the Father.  Also that we need to do more than just know that he is our savior, we need to know him AS our savior.

We noticed that in this prayer, Christ prays for not just those that are with him, but those who will believe on their words.  As we share the gospel with others, and they believe on our words, that puts us in the group that are "with Christ".

We ended by going back to that first ponderizing scripture, Moses 1:39:

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

If it is God's glory to bring to pass eternal life of man, and eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ, then as we come to know them better, and help others to know them, we are adding to God's glory.

We discussed ways that we can know our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ better:

• Personal Prayer
• Scripture Study
• Fulfilling Callings
• Serving Others
• Sharing the Gospel

This week we will ponderize John 17:3 and focus on doing these things that will help us to know Them better.