The importance of keeping our word, promises and covenants is vitally important! Sometimes it is easy to rationalize breaking our commitments and promises. This week's lesson bundle teaches the importance of integrity and keeping our covenants with God and our fellow men.
Download this week's Lesson Bundle below!
➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 K A R A O K E V I D E O : "Dare to Do Right"
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N
Write “promise” on a sheet of paper. Write “promise” on another sheet of paper and tape it to something hard like a cutting board or a book.
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Hold up the paper that says “promise” on it. Discuss the following questions:
1) “What is a promise?” (Lead a short discussion about what a promise is.)
Now, tear the paper in half and discuss the following questions:
1) How does it feel when someone breaks a promise? (Discuss.)
2) What if a parent promised they would play a game with their child and then they didn’t do it. Did they keep their promise? (No.)
3) What if a child promised that they would clean their room and then they didn’t do it. Did they keep their promise? (No.)
If we make a weak promise, then it will be weak like this paper (hold up the torn pieces of paper) and we will break our promise easily.
But, if we learn to keep our promises, they can be strong like this! (Hold up the hard object and attempt to tear it like the paper to show how strong it is.)
Explain that when Heavenly Father makes a promise, it’s always super strong because He never breaks a promise!
🎥 V I D E O : "Sully the Seagull/ A Story About Keeping Promises"
Say: “Now we are going to watch a video about a seagull who makes a promise. Let’s see if the seagull’s promise was a strong promise or weak promise.
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) Was Sully’s promise a strong promise or a weak promise? (Weak.)
2) When Sully broke his promise, did the other seagulls keep believing him? (No.)
3) Why do you think they didn’t believe Sully any more? (Discuss.)
4) Who makes the strongest promises? (Heavenly Father.)
5) Will Heavenly Father ever break a promise? (Never!)
6) If Heavenly Father makes a promise to us and we make a strong promise to Him, what is that called? (A covenant.)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Say: “The Anti-Nephi-Lehites used to fight and kill lots of people before they believed in Jesus Christ. But, later, they were converted to Jesus Christ and they knew that what they did was wrong. They didn’t want to use their swords and weapons any more.”
16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall ago to our God and shall be saved.
1) What did they do with their swords and weapons? (They buried them.)
18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.
1) Why did they do this? (So they would never use them again.)
2) What did they promise to God? What covenants did they make? (That they wouldn’t shed blood again, even if they had to die. They also promised to work hard and give to others.)
3) Do you think they will keep their promises? (Discuss.)
20 And it came to pass that their brethren, the Lamanites, made preparations for war, and came up to the land of Nephi for the purpose of destroying the king, and to place another in his stead, and also of destroying the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi out of the land.
21 Now when the people saw that they were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword.
1) Who came to attack the Anti-Nephi-Lehies? (The Lamanites.)
2) What did the Anti-Nephi-Lehies do? (They laid themselves down on the ground and began to
pray.)
3) Do you think they were scared? (Yes!)
4) Did they keep their promise? Or break it? (Kept it.)
5) Do you think this was a weak promise? Or a strong promise? (Discuss.)
24 Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done.
25 And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them.
1) When the Lamanites saw the Anti-Nephi-Lehies praying and saw that they wouldn't fight, how did they feel? (Their hearts were swollen/they felt sad.)
2) What did the Lamanites do next? (They threw down their weapons and they stopped fighting.)
➤ A C T I V I T Y
Pass out activity pages.
Follow the directions on the activity pages. Use this activity as an opportunity to discuss the importance of keeping righteous promises.
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
'Come, Follow Me' is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.