The Lesson - How do the commandments help me learn to become more like Heavenly Father? - What I Did.

Ack, it's so hard to try to remember what I did with all of these, but I just want to get them up so that people can use them!

Okay, so I think I did the following thing as an attention-getting activity.  I gave them this recipe and told them there were some ingredients missing.  It's an easy chocolate chip cookie recipe and I figured that some of them had made cookies before.  Here is the right recipe:

Original Nestle® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 60

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large egg 1 (12 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels 1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:

1.	PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F.
2.	COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
3.	BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Original Nestle® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 60

I gave them one with something really important taken out, like maybe eggs or flour or something.  For some reason I don't have that file.  But you can do it easily, right?  Right!  Time is of the essence!  I have chemo tomorrow and won't be at the computer for several days, so we have to get these churned out like crazy today.

So I had them guess what was wrong with it.  I think maybe one of the girls guessed right.  I told them that you can't make a perfect cookie without all of the ingredients.  And then I said that you can't perfect yourself to become like Heavenly Father without the commandments - commandments are a lot like a recipe in that way.

  Ask half of the class to read the first paragraph of Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s talk “‘As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten,’” and ask the other half to read the second paragraph. Invite them to look in their paragraphs for answers to the question “Why has God given us commandments?” (They could also read Elder Robert D. Hales’s talk “If Thou Wilt Enter into Life, Keep the Commandments,” beginning with the paragraph that states, “Some may ask, ‘Why did the Lord give us commandments?’”) Discuss what they find. Invite the youth to make a list of attributes God has. 

So I gave each kid one of the three following handouts and had them do it:

Why Does the Lord Give Us Commandments?

Directions:  Read the following quote.  (Your quote may not be the same as another person's quote, just FYI.)  Answer the question that follows the quote.

Some may ask, “Why did the Lord give us commandments?”  In premortal councils, He determined that we, His spirit children, would be given commandments by which to live during our mortal lives...

These commandments are loving instructions provided by God our Father for our physical and spiritual well-being and happiness while in mortality. Commandments allow us to know the mind and will of God regarding our eternal progression. And they test our willingness to be obedient to His will.

The commandments are not a burden or a restriction. Every commandment of the Lord is given for our development, progress, and growth. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “God has designed our happiness. … He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 256).

–                 Elder Robert D. Hales, “If Thou Wilt Enter Into Life, Keep the Commandments,” General Conference, April 1996

So, according to this quote, why does the Lord give us commandments?

  

Why Does the Lord Give Us Commandments?

Directions:  Read the following quote.  (Your quote may not be the same as another person's quote, just FYI.)  Answer the question that follows the quote.

Our Heavenly Father is a God of high expectations. His expectations for us are expressed by His Son, Jesus Christ, in these words: “I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect” (3 Nephi 12:48). He proposes to make us holy so that we may “abide a celestial glory” (D&C 88:22) and “dwell in his presence” (Moses 6:57). He knows what is required, and so, to make our transformation possible, He provides His commandments and covenants, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and most important, the Atonement and Resurrection of His Beloved Son.

–                 Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “As Many As I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten,” General Conference, April 2011, paragraph 1

So, according to this quote, why does the Lord give us commandments?

  

Why Does the Lord Give Us Commandments?

Directions:  Read the following quote.  (Your quote may not be the same as another person's quote, just FYI.)  Answer the question that follows the quote.

God’s purpose is that we, His children, may be able to experience ultimate joy, to be with Him eternally, and to become even as He is. Some years ago Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained: “The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

–                 Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “As Many As I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten,” General Conference, April 2011, paragraph 2

So, according to this quote, why does the Lord give us commandments?

Thennnn, we listed attributes that we think Heavenly Father has up on the board, all together.  The kids calling the attributes out and me writing them.

Then I put them into pairs and had them do the following:

Attributes and Commandments

Directions:  We've made a list of attributes of our Heavenly Father on the board.  Based on the following quote, I've written some attributes in the table below.  I've included some blank spaces to add more attributes that we had thought of and had written on the board. 

Working with a partner, I want you to think of commandments we are given that will help us to develop these attributes.  When you're thinking of commandments, think of alllll of them – the original 10, plus any others you can think of – tithing, Word of Wisdom, etc.  As you and your partner discuss, write the commandments in the row of your choice – many of these commandments could fit more than one attribute.

And then let's discuss how you filled out your table when you're done!

“God is perfect. He is a God of righteousness, with attributes such as love, mercy, charity, truth, power, faith, knowledge, and judgment. He has all power. He knows all things. He is full of goodness.”

–                 Gospel Principles, Chapter 1:  Our Father in Heaven

Attributes of Heavenly Father	Commandments that Will Help Me Learn These Attributes
love
mercy
charity
truth
power
faith
knowledge
judgment

And that's it, folks!