This week's FHE lesson topic comes from the Come, Follow Me reading in Acts 6-9. Check out this week's Come, Follow Me study ideas on LDS Livingfor additional resources and suggestions.
Thought
“Please consider the state of your changed heart. Do you detect any rejection setting in as a result of the tendency of the natural man to become casual? If so, find a place where you too can kneel. Remember, more than mortal years on this earth are at stake. Do not risk forfeiting the fruits of the ultimate operation: eternal salvation and exaltation.”
(Dale G. Renlund, “Preserving the Heart’s Mighty Change,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2009)
Scripture
“Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me” (Acts 8:21-24).
Lesson
Before the family home evening has begun, rearrange some items in the room. For example, take down family photos (or replace them with different pictures!), turn around home décor so it is facing the wall, or place an item in an unusual place. Be as creative and subtle as you want. Wait until after the opening prayer and song to ask family members if they notice if anything is “not quite right” about the room. When they notice something different, have them go rearrange the room back to the way it was. Ask, “Did you notice that something wasn’t right when you walked in? How did it make you feel after you noticed that the room was different?”
Then read Acts 8:21-24. Discuss what it means to have a heart that is “not right in the sight of God” and how that could compare to walking into a room that is “not quite right.” Ask the following:
For those who didn’t notice the room was different at first, why do you think that happened? How can we be more aware of the state of our heart in the sight of God? What can we do to make our hearts right again? What does Simon do? (Hint: See Acts 8:34)
You can also discuss if there are any ways the family as a whole can improve to be more “right in the sight of God.” Be sure to pray about these improvements and adjustments at the end of the family home evening.
Story
Read Elder Dale G. Renlund’s story about how he was able to make his heart right again before God:
One Sunday late in my first year of [medical] training, I knew that I would likely finish by 2:00. I realized, however, that if I stayed in the hospital just a little longer, my wife and daughter would depart [for church] without me. I could then walk home and take a needed nap. I regret to say that I did just that. I waited until 2:15, walked home slowly, and lay down on the couch, hoping to nap. But I could not fall asleep. I was disturbed and concerned. I had always loved going to church. I wondered why on this day the fire of testimony and the zeal that I had previously felt were missing. I did not have to think long. Because of my schedule, I had become casual with my prayers and scripture study. I would get up one morning, say my prayers, and go to work. Often day blended into night and into day again before I would return home late the following evening. I would then be so tired that I would fall asleep before saying a prayer or reading the scriptures. The next morning the process began again. The problem was that I was not doing the basic things I needed to do to keep my mightily changed heart from turning to stone. I got off the couch, got on my knees, and pleaded with God for forgiveness. I promised my Heavenly Father that I would change. The next day I brought a Book of Mormon to the hospital. On my to-do list that day, and every day since, were two items: praying at least morning and evening and reading in the scriptures. Sometimes midnight would come, and I would have to quickly find a private place to pray. Some days my scripture study was brief. I also promised Heavenly Father that I would always try to get to church, even if I missed part of the meeting. Over the course of a few weeks, the zeal returned and the fire of testimony burned fiercely again. I promised to never again fall into the spiritual death trap of being casual about these seemingly small actions and thereby jeopardizing things of an eternal nature, regardless of circumstances.
(Dale G. Renlund, “Preserving the Heart’s Mighty Change,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2009)