“Come, Follow Me” October 14–20: “I Can Do All Things through Christ Which Strengtheneth Me”

This week’s readings: Philippians; Colossians

Don’t forget to record your impressions and read the ideas outlined in the new Come, Follow Me manuals on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

This scriptural insight comes from Verse by Verse: Volume 2by Andrew C. Skinner and D. Kelly Ogden.

Paul wrote that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is the image (Greek, icon) of the invisible (meaning unseen) God (meaning the Father). The scriptures do teach anthropomorphism—not “God in the image of man” but “man . . . in the image of God,” just asGenesis 1:27 says. We have bodies; he has a body. 

These ideas and topics are compiled from Come, Follow Me and have been adapted for specific situations. Check out the manuals online for more ideas, or come up with your own as you study!

For couples: 

Married life can be full of challenges and things that need to be done, from raising children to budgeting to working, to name a few. Perhaps as you study together this week, you can talk about some things in your life that might be making it difficult for you to experience joy together. Whether you are currently going through a difficult trial or are simply struggling to find time to find joy in Christ,Philippians chapter 4 has many statements that you can discuss together as you find ways to have peace and joy no matter your circumstances. Maybe you can even come together at the end of each night and share one moment that you found peace or joy that day. For further examples and studying about how to find peace no matter your circumstances, you might consider readingInsights from a Prophet’s Life: President Russell M. Nelson. 

For singles: 

Paul uses a phrase in Philippians that you might consider studying this week: “Work out your own salvation.” What does this mean? How does this instruction fit within the role of grace? As you study and come to your own understanding of what this phrase means, you could pick one way that you can strive to work out your own salvation this week. 

For families with young children:

As you study as a family this week, consider using Paul’s analogy of being “rooted” to teach your children about faith. You could go outside and have your children try to push over a large tree. When it stands firm, you can explain how the roots help it stay firmly in the ground. Perhaps you can make a family faith tree, writing down actions that can increase your faith on paper roots and sticking them underneath a paper tree. Family members could continue to add roots throughout the week or also record experiences they have that strengthened their faith, such as a prayer being answered or feeling comforted when they were sad.

For families with teens: 

In this week’s readings, Paul explains at length the sacrifices he made for Christ and why he feels that those sacrifices were worth it. Perhaps you can study this topic with your teenagers. You could share a story from your own life or the life of your ancestors about sacrificing for Christ and His gospel. The sacrifices your family might have to make are probably a little different from your stories. This might be a good opportunity to ask your teenagers if they are willing to share what sacrifices they have to make and why they can be hard to make. You could even ask them what specific things family members can do to support each other in their sacrifices and implement them this week.

Stay in the loop on Come, Follow Me discussions and insights throughout the week by following the Brightly BeamsInstagram account, or check out this week's related Come, Follow Me FHE lesson: The Light in Your Eyes: Being an Example.

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