With blocks of toys, stones or pieces of paper, you let the youngest children create a city with streets on the ground. Demonstrate with miniature cars what can happen when drivers don`t follow the laws. If you have toy figures, the kids could also show what could happen to people who don`t follow traffic rules. If there are no toy cars or figurines available, children could draw them on cards or pieces of paper. Every country has laws that must be followed. For example, Trevor, 6, from Japan, said, “When we go to school, we can only go where cars can`t go.” Ji Hae, 10, from Korea, added: “In my country, you can`t drive a car unless you have a driver`s license.” According to David, 9, from Canada: “In my country, we should not take drugs. Annie, 11, from China, explains: “When I ride a bike in China, I have to follow the traffic rules. We don`t cycle on sidewalks in China. Our sidewalks are for people walking. Kirstie, 8, from England, said: “When you drive, you should not exceed the speed limit. If you work and earn money, you have to pay taxes. Let the children sit on the floor in a circle with their hands clasped together.
The leader calls a number, then taps the hands of the person sitting next to him while saying “one.” That person then taps the hands of the person on the other side of them and says, “Two.” Keep walking around the circle until they arrive at the number the guide originally called. This person tells a law to obey and indicates whether it is a law of the land, a law of God, or a family rule. Then that person calls a number and taps the hands of the person sitting next to them and says “one.” Go around the circle until the number called is reached. Play until each child has a chance to say a law or rule. Ask each child to make a small drawing of someone obeying a law. Stick the image on a stick. Ask each child to explain their photo, then put it in a hole in a cardboard box or an empty egg carton. Invite the bishop or other priesthood leader to come to Primary for another time of sharing to see images posted and teach Primary children the importance of obeying the laws. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have given us certain laws to keep so that we can be happy in this life and prepare to live with them again. The rules and laws of our countries should help us live together in security and peace with our neighbours. We also have rules in our families that help us live, work and play together in love and harmony.
A coat of arms tells the story of a family and often contains a motto or rule that the family is trying to live. In some countries, the coat of arms has been used for centuries. Design your own coat of arms based on the pattern on page 13. Write your name in the banner at the bottom of the panel. Draw an image of your country`s flag in a section of the shield. In another section, draw a picture of something that represents your family. In another section, draw something that illustrates one of God`s laws. In the last section, draw something that represents you (an image of yourself; a soccer ball; a musical instrument; your favorite color, animal, book or place; your home). Think of a motto and write it in the banner at the top of the panel.
You can choose from this list or think of another: “I am a child of God”, “Love one another”, “I will follow Jesus”, “I love the truth”, “Choose the right thing”. Jehoshaphat, his son, ruled in his place and stood up against Israel. He stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and set up garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa had conquered from his father. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he was walking in the previous ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but the God of His Father, and walked in His commandments and not in the customs of Israel. Therefore, the Lord established the kingdom in His hand. And all of Judah paid homage to Jehoshaphat, and he had great wealth and honor. Under normal circumstances, our governments serve God`s purposes by mitigating the harm that fallen people inflict on each other through the application of laws and ordinances. These laws, if they are fair, are intended either to impede disorderly behavior or to punish it appropriately when it is committed.
Here in the United States, Christians have been labeled domestic terrorists by the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. “These are the laws and rules that you must possess in the earth that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you in every day that you live on earth. It was actually quite easy for a Jew or a Christian to come into conflict with the laws of that time. In some cities to do business in public markets, the only place to buy food, textiles, and other necessities of life was a small sacrifice for a certain pagan deity. This was usually done in the form of a small pinch of incense on a public altar. For Christians and Jews, such an act was unthinkable. This was clearly the sin of idolatry. Therefore, navigating the laws could be very difficult for believers in the one God of the Bible. However, this did not mean that Christians simply had to obey unjust laws or laws that violated God`s higher law. This peaceful resistance led to the martyrdom of many Christians. But a man named Ananias sold a property with his wife Saphira, and with the knowledge of his wife, he kept part of the product for himself, bringing only a part of it and putting it at the feet of the apostles.
But Peter said, “Ananias, why did Satan fill your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and hold back some of the earth`s salvation for yourself? Although it remained unsold, didn`t it remain yours? And after its sale, wasn`t it available to you? Why did you invent this act in your heart? You did not lie to people, but to God. When Ananias heard these words, he fell and breathed his last. And a great fear fell on all those who heard of it. Jesus knew it was important to obey the laws of the land. In the country where he lived, Caesar was the ruler. When the people asked Jesus if he should obey the law, he told the people to “offer to the emperor what belongs to the emperor; and to God, who is God” (Matthew 22:21). In other words, Jesus taught us to obey and honor both the laws of the land or nation in which we live and the laws of God. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, whom I command you today, loving the Lord your God, walking in His ways, and keeping His commandments, statutes, and rules, then you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land, that you go there to take possession of it.
