Young Womens Lesson #3 - Living the Gospel Daily

I drew a food pyramid on the chalkboard. I brought different foods from my daughter’s little kitchen. I had the girls help me fill out the food pyramid. We discussed the important of eating food from all the different food groups in order to have a healthy body.

I brought jars of vitamins and discussed how sometimes we take vitamins to make up for the food we didn’t eat or just give our body extra nutrients.

I drew another pyramid on the board and asked the girls to list some things we need to do each day to help our spirits be nourished and healthy. I filled in the pyramid.

Have the following quotation read: “The sure way to peace and happiness in this life and life hereafter is to serve the Lord today and EVERY day” (Marion G. Romney, “Serve the Lord Today,” Ensign, June 1979, p. 3).

Explain that if we are to feel the peace of Christ in our lives, we must make efforts to draw close to Christ each day.

QUESTIONS:

• What can you do to feel close to the Lord in our daily lives?

• Why is it sometimes difficult to stay close to the Lord each day? Encourage the young women to give specific answers.

• What are some of the challenges and problems that you face each day? Write the young women’s answers on the chalkboard.

Then I suggested that there are spiritual vitamins that we can “take” that will help our spirit get extra nutrients. And we discussed the six points given in the lesson manual. Some of these are spiritual foods we need to do each day and some are extra vitamins to help us draw closer to the Lord.


LOVE
“God’s children need to be loved, and to have someone to love. … We have two great challenges, you and I, and the challenge never ends as long as breath lasts: to choose him and to love each other. Then we may be sure we will know him in this world and at last in that kingdom which is not of this world” (Marion D. Hanks, in Conference Report, Apr. 1980, pp. 42–44; or Ensign, May 1980, pp. 30–31).

Q: What can you do on a daily basis to show more love? Who can you love more?

PRAYER
“Sincere prayer is the heart of a happy and productive life. Prayer strengthens faith. Prayer is the preparation for miracles. Prayer opens the door to eternal happiness” (H. Burke Peterson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, p. 13; or Ensign, Jan. 1974, p. 19).

We need to be sure that we are praying morning and night.

Q: What can you do to be better at praying twice a day?

And always have a grateful, prayer heart. Pray when we need it (anywhere, anytime), but also pray to give thanks. (Share example of something I lost and then found and my prayer of thanks.)



SERVICE
“To serve others willingly and unselfishly should be one of our greatest virtues. It is not even a matter of choice. It is an obligation, a sacred command. …

“Therefore, let us serve one another with brotherly love, never tiring of the demands upon us, being patient and persevering and generous” (Ezra Taft Benson, “Your Charge,” New Era, Sept. 1979, p. 44).

Q: How can we serve more? Share my effort to keep a “service journal” for several months.

OBEDIENCE
“One goal that most of us share in this life is the desire to achieve true joy and lasting happiness. There is only one way to do this, and that is by being obedient to all the commandments of God. … ‘When the Lord commands, do it,’ was a rule in the life of the first prophet of this dispensation. May that be the motto and practice of each of us” (Delbert L. Stapley, in Conference Report, Oct. 1977, pp. 26, 30; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, pp. 19, 21).

STUDY
“When we follow the counsel of our leaders to read and study the scriptures, benefits and blessings of many kinds come to us. … Where could there be more profitable use of time than reading from the scriptural library the literature that teaches us to know God and understand our relationship to him?” (Howard W. Hunter, in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, p. 91; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, p. 64).

Q: Are you reading the scriptures daily? Are you studying the scriptures? Why aren’t you? What can you do to start reading/studying the scriptures better?

WORK
“Energetic, purposeful work leads to vigorous health, praiseworthy achievement, a clear conscience, and refreshing sleep. Work has always been a boon to man. May you have a wholesome respect for labor whether with head, heart, or hand” (Ezra Taft Benson, “Your Charge,” p. 44).

Q: Do you consider yourself a hard-worker? Do you try to do a good job when you have something to do? Do you take pride in a job well done? How can you start to do this?

Remind the young women that if they are to draw close to the Lord, they must make these principles part of their lives all the time. It is not enough to live righteously only on Sundays or only occasionally. It needs to be each and every day.

HANDOUT: I tried to get the cute red prescription “bottles” from Target to make a little bottle of vitamins, but I couldn’t get them. I was going to go to a medical supply store and just get simple prescription bottles, but ran out of time, so I made these cones with “vitamins” (really candy) inside and the tags says “Daily Dose of Righteousness”. These “vitamins” are to remind the girls to feed their spirits daily by living righteously. I also included a one week plan to choose one of the six principles to live each day and write what they will do or did that day to exemplify that principle in their daily life.