Reverence Is Love and Respect for God

By Jennifer Maddy

You can use this lesson and activity to learn more about this month’s Primary theme.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Matthew 22:37).

Moses was a righteous man who lived long ago. One day he was leading a flock of sheep to grazing land when he came to a mountain. On the mountain he saw a bush that was on fire. When he went to look, he saw that the bush was not burning up. Moses heard a voice call to him, saying, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” It was the voice of the Lord calling to Moses.

The Lord said that He had a great work for Moses to do. He wanted Moses to lead the children of Israel out of captivity and into the promised land. (See Exodus 3:1–10.)

The Lord told Moses to take off his shoes because he was on sacred ground. We don’t take off our shoes to show respect when we go into our church buildings, but we do show reverence and respect for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by choosing the right in what we do and say.

At church we can show reverence by dressing nicely and modestly, talking quietly and politely, listening to our teachers, and cleaning up after ourselves. Being reverent during the sacrament helps us think about Jesus Christ. Even if we are at a church building during the week, we should show respect by not yelling and not running in the halls.

We can have reverence for God even when we’re not at church by showing respect for His creations. We can be kind to animals, help keep the earth clean, and thank Heavenly Father for the things we enjoy in nature. Remember that God’s greatest creations are His sons and daughters—us! When we treat others with kindness, we are showing reverence and respect for God.

Activity

Color the Reverence Jar label on page 41. Then cut out the label and the word strips. Glue or tape the label to a small, clean jar and put the word strips inside. Each Sunday, pull out one word strip about reverence and try to work on it that day at church or during the week.

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reverence jar word strips

Illustration by Brad Teare

Reverence Jar

Clean up after yourself after sacrament meeting and Primary.

Try to remember a story you hear in sacrament meeting or Primary. Share the story with your family after church or in family home evening.

Pick up any litter you might see in the church building.

Sing the hymns and songs at church. If you don’t know the words, hum the music.

Thank Heavenly Father for your blessings.

Think about Jesus Christ during the sacrament.

Take good care of your pet.

Speak quietly at church. Don’t run or yell.

Shake hands with your bishop or branch president.

Be kind to others.

Speak politely to teachers and leaders.

Listen carefully during prayers, and fold your arms, bow your head, and close your eyes.

Use the special words Thee and Thou when you pray.