Keep the Commandments

By Linda Magleby

“Therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you” (Mosiah 2:22).

Daniel and other youth were selected by King Nebuchadnezzar to be taught the language and customs of the land. The king ordered that the youth be fed his meat and wine. Daniel wanted to be obedient to Heavenly Father’s commandments, so he asked that he and his friends be allowed to eat healthy foods and drink only water for 10 days. After 10 days Daniel and his friends were healthier than all the other children. Because Daniel and his friends were not afraid to obey Heavenly Father’s commandments, they were blessed (see Dan. 1).

While 10-year-old Trace and his friends were watching television, a show came on that Trace knew he should not watch. After a few minutes he felt awful inside. Finally, he had the courage to say, “I can’t watch this show.” Two of his friends said that they couldn’t watch the show either. They changed the channel. Later, Trace’s mom told him that the feeling he had was the Holy Ghost telling him to choose the right. Trace and his friends were blessed with a feeling of peace because they obeyed Heavenly Father’s commandments.

Daniel was obedient in ancient times, and like Trace we can be obedient today. The Holy Ghost will help us know what is right and true. The Holy Ghost will direct us and help us return to Heavenly Father and Jesus.

Activity

To make My Gospel Standards cards, remove page F4, paste it on heavy paper, then cut along the dark lines. Try one of these activities.

Sit in a circle with your friends or family. As you sing a song or hymn, pass one of the cards around the circle. Stop singing, and have the person holding the card read the standard aloud, then tell how it could help him or her choose the right. Play again.
Choose a card to memorize, and try to live that standard for a week. Read it each day, and think about how you can follow that standard. Report your experiences to someone in your family.

Image

Gospel Standards cards

Photograph by David Stoker, posed by models

MY GOSPEL STANDARDS
I will follow Heavenly Father’s plan for me.
I will remember my baptismal covenant and listen to the Holy Ghost.
I will choose the right. I know I can repent when I make a mistake.
I will be honest with Heavenly Father, others, and myself.
I will use the names of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ reverently. I will not swear or use crude words.
I will do those things on the Sabbath that will help me feel close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
I will honor my parents and do my part to strengthen my family.
I will keep my mind and body sacred and pure, and I will not partake of things that are harmful to me.
I will dress modestly to show respect for Heavenly Father and myself.
I will only read and watch things that are pleasing to Heavenly Father.
I will only listen to music that is pleasing to Heavenly Father.
I will seek good friends and treat others kindly.
I will live now to be worthy to go to the temple and do my part to have an eternal family.

Note: If you do not wish to remove pages from the magazine, this activity may be copied, traced, or printed from the Internet at www.lds.org. For English, click on “Gospel Library.” For other languages, click on the world map.

Sharing Time Ideas

Display a poster of the Ten Commandments, or list them on the chalkboard (see Ex. 20:3–17). On 20 pieces of paper write the numbers 1 through 10 twice—one number per paper. Place them in scattered order facedown on the floor. Working in pairs (a younger child with an older child), play a matching game by having the younger child toss a beanbag on a paper. Turn the paper over, and have the older child toss a beanbag on another paper. If that paper matches the first number, remove those papers and have the children recite the commandment out loud and show or tell a way we can keep that commandment. If there is no match, turn both papers back over and give the next pair a turn. Continue until all of the commandments have been shared. Use a personal experience to explain how you have been blessed by obeying a commandment.
Use stations to help the children learn the Beatitudes. Begin by telling the story of the Sermon on the Mount. Use Gospel Art Picture Kit 212 (Sermon on the Mount). Divide the children into four groups, and have each group rotate through the stations. At each station tell a story using a Gospel Art Picture Kit picture that illustrates a beatitude. Discuss how the children can live the teaching, and sing a song that reinforces the principle. For example, read Matt. 5:6 (“hunger and thirst after righteousness”), show Gospel Art Picture Kit 217 (Woman at the Well), discuss what you can do to follow Jesus Christ, and sing a song about the Savior; read Matt. 5:9 (“peacemakers”), show Gospel Art Picture Kit 311 (The Anti-Nephi-Lehies Burying Their Swords), discuss how you can be a peacemaker in your home or at school, and sing a song about kindness.