Last Student Choice Assignment

 

 

 Topic Choices (Choose One)

Choice 1: Matthew 19:16–30; 20:1–16. Earthly and Heavenly Rewards

1. Review Matthew 19:16–30 and write responses to the following questions and tasks:
• What indications can you find that suggest why the young man decided not to follow the Savior? How does Matthew 6:19–24 help explain his choice?

It says that he went away sorrowful.  If he had chosen to follow the Lord before he went away, there would not have been sorrow.  He obviously still retained all of his possessions, aside from his greatest one.  The Lord says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of needle.  I think that it could have been anything.  For someone giving up his or her financial riches might not mean much, but the Lord asked the man to give up whatever was the most important to him.  He felt like he had already done so much and followed the commandments, and maybe skipping that one was not a big deal.  He chose that over the Lord. 

• What blessings did the Savior promise to those who make sacrifices to follow Him?

To attain perfection. 

To attain treasure in heaven. 

 Anything is possible through God. 

Celestial Kingdom/ Inherit Everlasting Life

He promises if we give things for his names sake, we will receive 100 fold. 

The Last shall be first and the First shall be last. 

• Based on the Savior’s response to Peter, write a paragraph that could help you put the Lord first in your life (see also the additional details in Mark 10:17–31).

In the version of this story in Mark, one difference I noticed is that he says How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God.  I really liked that because being rich isn’t the problem, it is where your loyalty and trust lie.  For instance, my grandparents on my mother’s side happen to be very wealthy.  However, my grandma has been a worthy tithe payer her entire life, and they live in a modest home, and they help me and all of their grandchildren in any way they can.  They constantly offer to pay for camps for church for us to go to, give to poor and help others in any way possible.  I know they would give up their money in a heartbeat for the Lord, and it is evident by how they use it.  That is why it I like that how scripture was worded well in Mark. 

       I think one of the things I could do to put the Lord first in my life is to make a list of what is actually important to me, or what I spend the most time thinking about.  I want to think of my top ten things that I value, and then I am going to ponder and see if I am balancing out those things with the time I give the Lord, and if I should have them be priorities or not still. Off of the top of my head I think these are kind of what they would be, but I will work more on figuring that out this week.  

1. My Family and the Man I love and my relationships with people who I love. 

2. Animals and Nature

3. Acne and my Weight (being a perfectionist about my appearance)

4. Having a good job

5. Special needs kids

6. How to focus more because I suck so bad at it.

7. My relationship with Heavenly Father

8. Scriptures

9. Sacrament/Participation in my Ward/Tithing

10.      Temple

2. Review the parable in Matthew 20:1–16 and consider what rewards come to those who serve in the Lord’s kingdom. Complete the chart below, filling in the blanks with information you find in Matthew 20:

The hour the laborers were hired	How much the man agreed to pay	Hours worked	How much they were actually paid
12	A penny a day	12	A penny
3	A penny a day	9	A penny
6	A penny a day	6	A penny
9	A penny a day	3	A penny
11	A penny a day	1	A penny

3. Respond in writing to each of the following questions:

• What do we learn from this parable about serving in the Lord’s kingdom?

We learn that it doesn’t matter how much we serve or how man hours or the exact merit of what we do.  What matters is that we do our part.  Some of us are not asked to do the things that others are asked to do, and that is okay.  We are sometimes asked to give up more than other people though, and when we do that it is what we are asked.  We may not get a greater reward than them, but we will receive what we are promised.  We can’t compare ourselves to the people around us, because we are not all in the same situations. 

• What message of comfort can this parable have for converts to the Church?

This can teach that even though they are joining late, and may have made mistakes in their life due to their ignorance of what they hadn’t been taught, that does not make their reward any less.  For instance, a man who joins the church when he is 28 may not still be offered the chance to serve a single, full-time mission for the church due to his age.  That does not mean that he will receive less of a reward because he was an “able bodied young man” that didn’t serve for two years.  He joined late, and he will be paid based on the time he was hired just like the men in this parable from the Lord. 

• What would you tell someone who feels it is unfair for each of the laborers to be paid equally?

I would tell them that they should not worry about other people, because we are all judged separately and the relationship (time they were hired) may be different from other people.  We each have our own jobs, purposes, relationships and trials from God and we cannot compare ourselves to those around us.  It will just leave us feeling angry and not get us anywhere. 

 

Choice 2: Luke 16:1–12, 19–31; 17:11–19; 18:1–14. Parables and Accounts That Teach Eternal Truths

1. Study the following parables and accounts along with the accompanying commentary from the institute student manual. Describe in writing what you feel is the major principle the Lord wants us to understand from each of the parables:
• Luke 16:1–12, the parable of the unjust steward. “The Children of This World Are in Their Generation Wiser Than the Children of Light” (pg. 124).
1. If we are unjust with small things, they will multiply and it will come back to haunt us.  Why would the Lord give us a break if we are not even doing the small things? The steward was willing to give up his honesty to attain something temporal.  That is a temptation that is very prominent, but we need to avoid that.  We can do that by having our minds set on preparing for our eternity, rather than the things on earth. 

• Luke 16:19–31, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. “What Do We Learn About the Spirit World from the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus?” (pgs. 124–25).
1. This shows me that our circumstances do not dictate our future.  Our behavior and choices do.  The rich man who made bad choices, will be tormented later, while the poor Lazarus was given terrible circumstances, but endured them righteously and will be rewarded in heaven.  If we endure the things we are given, we will receive our reward on the Lord’s time. 

• Luke 17:11–19, the ten lepers. “Why Were the Ten Lepers to Show Themselves to the Priests?” and “Were There Not Ten Cleansed?” (pg. 130). See also the Bible Dictionary, “Leprosy” (pg. 724).
1. The lepers all had enough faith to ask and go to Jesus to be healed, however only one of them had the gratitude to come back and thank him.  I think that this shows the importance of turning to God in all times, and not only in bad times where we need healing.  He wants us to be close to him always, which is sometimes hard for people to remember when everything is going right.  Just like us, he probably feels a lot better when we show appreciation for his blessings. 

• Luke 18:1–8, the parable of the unjust judge. “Why Did the Lord Give the Parable of the Unjust Judge?” (pg. 131).
1. The lord hears our prayers and answers them in many different ways.  The woman is so persistent in her asking the judge that he eventually agrees and grants her her wish.  We can learn from her, because when we do not immediately receive our answer, we can keep trying and persist, and he will answer us on his time and in his own way if we are receptive to the spirit. 

• Luke 18:9–14, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. “Why Did the Lord Give the Parable of the Pharisee and Publican?” (pg. 131).
1. We need to be humble.  We shouldn’t be worshipping just so others can see.  We need to be putting our faith in him and humility needs to be a quality we possess for him, not for us to boast about.  That is the only way we will be exalted.  This is a good one because it kind of goes along with the power of prayer too, but we need to not just persistently pray, but also pray humbly.  HE didn’t choose one man over the other, he just rewards humility.