The Ten Commandments

Student Choice Assignment #1 : The Ten Commandments

1. Read Exodus 20:3-17, make a list of 10 commandments.  Read Matthew 22:36-40 and identify what the Lord said were the two "great" commandments.  Place each of the 10 commandments withing the two by writing "Love God" or "Love Neighbor" next to them on the list.

• Have no other Gods before me.                                        Love God
• Not make any graven image.                                              Love God
• Not take name of God in vain.                                           Love God
• Keep Sabbath day holy.                                                      Love God
• Honor thy Father & thy Mother                                        Love Neighbor
• Not kill                                                                                Love Neighbor
• Not commit adultery                                                          Love Neighbor
• Not steal                                                                              Love Neighbor
• Not bear false witness                                                        Love Neighbor
• Not covet                                                                             Love Neighbor

     -The scripture in Matthew said that the two great commandments were to "love the Lord thy God" and to "Love thy neighbor as thyself".

2. List 3 commandments from Exodus 20:3-17 that you feel are most commonly neglected by the world.  Read the Institute Manual for those commandments.  Write a paragraph about the difference it would make in the world if all God's children kept these commandments.

 My list of 3 commandments that I feel are most neglected by mankind are: 1)Not take the name of God in vain, 2) Not commit adultery, and 3) Not bear false witness.

The world would definitely be a different and much better world in which to live if we kept all the commandments, but the 3 that I chose are the ones that I know would be easier to change and would help us to feel safer both spiritually, physically and emotionally.  When we take God's name in vain we show our lack of reverence for Him and as the Institute Manual points out, we are seeming to forget our oath and promise made at our baptism to take His name upon us.  I had not thought of that and that helped me to think that using foul language is such an epidemic in society that we just do and don't even think about or realize we are doing.  We NEED to reverence God and show Him our respect for Him in order to understand who WE are.  The next one I chose was adultery.  With the rise in cohabiting partners and children being born out of wedlock, it's clear that the family and the institute of marriage are under attack.  Committing adultery is just one more stone added upon a rocky pile that will tumble and ruin all beneath it.  It is sad that so many feel they can not trust another to marry them, or they don't want to commit, or it is just "easier" for them to do it this way and then others just give in to the natural man and forget about the laws that are there for our help and safety.  Marriage is a covenant and it is a covenant that if more people were abiding by and keeping, we would be able to trust each other more.  The last commandment that I chose was Bearing false witness.  Oh how sad this one makes me!  I have been on the losing end of gossip too many times and know just how deeply those wounds can go and how long they take to heal, if at all.  Why do we do that?  Why do we talk about others in hurtful ways?  Why do we share information that isn't true?  If we kept this commandment, then people would feel loved by others...by their neighbors, by their friends, by coworkers, etc.  We all would be able to walk with our heads held high and be proud of who we are instead of waiting for the next rumor about us to circulate and destroy our hearts and our self-worth.

Murmuring in the Wilderness

Student choice assignment #5
Exodus 15:23-27, 16-17

• What did the children of Israel murmur about?

They murmured about their living conditions.  They had bitter water to drink, then they didn't want to be in the Wilderness, they were hungry and thirsty again.

• How did the Lord respond to their murmuring?

The Lord gave them water to drink from a tree and the water tasted fresh.  Then he sent manna to feed them each day providing sufficient for their needs and allowing them to not have to collect it on the Sabbath day in order to keep it holy.  He also had Moses smite a rock to make water for them to drink.

• Why do you think people murmur against God and those He has chosen as His leaders? (1Ne 16:1-3)

The Lord asks hard things of us or at least things that may appear hard to us if we are not currently living righteously.  Sometimes we feel guilt if we are not doing as we should, or as quoted in the scriptures "the guilty taketh the truth to be hard".  It's our way of figuring out how we are not doing what we should be doing and venting our frustrations about it.

•  Read 2 Ne 27:35, describe what Nephi suggested as an antidote for murmuring.

Nephi said we need to come to an understanding and learn the doctrine.  I believe what he means is that we need to get our crap together and do what the Lord has asked of us no matter how hard or uncomfortable it may feel to us.  This is a hard thing, especially if the sin or disobedience has gone on for some time.  It is hard to break habits and create new, better ones.  That doesn't mean it is impossible, just that it will take time and effort on our part.  The Lord asks us to have a willing attitude to make the change and therein lies the secret.

• What counsel would you give to a friend/family member who murmurs against the commandments of God?

I would give the same counsel that I give myself everyday...."BUCK UP!"  I would suggest making it a matter of prayer first and study of scriptures and the words of the Latter-day prophets to help me have the strength to do what I need to do without complaint.  I would also suggest that they start small.  Rome wasn't built in a day and so it is with changes we make in our lives.  Not that we need to make the progress so slow that we aren't actually changing, but not put so much added pressure to change overnight that it is impossible or feels impossible for us to manage.  The Lord wants us to succeed and He will bless us but we need to put forth the effort and care about it too.

Joseph Endured His Trials

This week I chose to do Student Choice Assignment #3 : Genesis 29-30, 35, 37, 39-41

" Joseph Endured His Trials"

a. Read the chapter summaries for Genesis 29-30 and 35. List the birth order of Jacob's 12 sons

     Reuben  (from Leah)

     Simeon  (from Leah)

     Levi  (from Leah)

     Judah (from Leah)

     Dan (from Bilhah)

     Naphtali  (from Bilhah)

     Gad  (from Zilpah)

     Asher  (from Zilpah)

     Isaachar  (from Leah)

     Zebulun  (from Leah)

     Joseph  (from Rachel)

     Benjamin  (from Rachel)

b. Read Genesis 37:1-11 & Institute Manual (pg 93) "What was the coat of many colors?".  Write explanation of possible reasons Joseph's brothers were envious of him. 

   In verse 3, it states "Israel loved Joseph more than all his children".  Right there pretty much sums it up.  Of course they were jealous because their father loved Joseph more and gave him the gift of the coat.  None of the rest of them had received such a gift.  Joseph also had dreams that foretell of future events and the brothers were resentful of the fact that at some future time they would be bowing down to their younger brother.  In addition, the Institute Manual talks about how the coat of many colors was actually just a long coat with long sleeves like the kind wore by those in the upper class and may have signified that Joseph held the birthright.  Reuben being the oldest should have been the one to receive the birthright and if he didn't then it would naturally pass to the next in line which was Simeon.  So basically the brothers thought through a series of other events also, that some of them should be the birthright possessors and not Joseph.

c. List the challenges in Genesis 37 that Joseph faced.  How do you think Joseph felt about his challenges?  How are Joseph's challenges like the ones young people face today?

   I gave this one quite a bit of thought.  First, the challenges Joseph faced were his not being accepted by his brothers.  They envied him and conspired to get rid of him.  He was taken and cast into a pit, then sold into slavery, then sold into slavery in a different land where he knew no one and no one shared his common beliefs or values.  He was alone.  

   I feel like the youth of today face these same types of challenges although they may not think they do.  Many youth feel like if they stand up for their beliefs (like Joseph did when he shared his dreams), then they are likely to be bullied or ridiculed.  This makes them essentially feel alone and like no one understands.  

d.  Read Genesis 39:2-3, 21, 23 and find a phrase that is similar in all four verses.  Then answer the following questions:

   1.What did Joseph do in Genesis 39 that allowed the phrase in v. 2-3 to still be true in vs. 21 & 23?  When do you think Joseph made the commitment to be morally clean?

  2.Give examples from Genesis 40-41 & Institute Manual (pg 95) that illustrate how the Lord remained with Joseph.

   3.Write 2 or 3 paragraphs listing lessons you learn you learn from the life of Joseph.  What can you learn from Joseph about turning bad experiences and circumstances into good ones?

   The phrase that I saw repeated was "the Lord was with Joseph".  

   1.Joseph refused the advances of Potiphar's wife.  I think that Joseph must have made a commitment to be morally clean from an early age because when he was faced with this temptation he didn't even have to think about what to choose...he just chose to go away from  it.  

   2.Even when Joseph was falsely accused of wrongdoing and sent to prison, he was blessed by the Lord.  Sure he was in prison, but he had a position of power and took care of other prisoners.  He could've blamed the Lord for not protecting him from that fate, but he never did.  He just kept carrying on and being righteous.  He helped other prisoners by interpreting their dreams and just bided his time until it was the time when he was released.  

  3.I learned from Joseph that life is hard.  Things happen to us but that doesn't have to define us.  There is a quote that I heard some years ago that I try hard to remember in my everyday life.  I don't know who said it but it goes like this..."Attitude is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it".  I think that shows exactly how Joseph turned his bad experiences into good ones.  He didn't let what was happening in his life or to his life be how he lived.  He made the best of it and kept on being obedient to the Lord. 

  This is what I need to work on in my life.  So often I get down in the dumps when something doesn't go my way and start to place blame.  I don't want to be like that which is why I try to follow the advice given in the quote I shared, but I will admit that it is hard.  It is a daily choice.