Come, Follow Me
Why should I treat my body like a temple?

Why should I treat my body like a temple?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

Our bodies were created in the image of God. They are a gift from Heavenly Father to allow us to experience mortality and continue to become more like Him. This knowledge influences the way we treat our bodies and how we feel about Heavenly Father and ourselves. When we treat our bodies as temples of God, we obtain physical, emotional, and spiritual blessings.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What blessings have you received as you have treated your body as a temple of God? How has your understanding of the sacredness of your body grown as you have experienced life and watched the lives of others?

What challenges do the young men face as they strive to treat their bodies as sacred gifts from God? How is the way they treat their bodies related to priesthood power?

What can the young men do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior loved those He taught. He knew who they were and who they could become. He found unique ways for them to grow—ways meant just for them. When they struggled, He did not give up on them but continued to love them and minister to them. What can you do to love and serve the young men as the Savior does?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our quorum: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our duties: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the quorum of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a quorum presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the quorum; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help quorum members understand the doctrine.

  • Invite each young man to read a section of one of the talks suggested in this outline. Then give the young men a few minutes to each prepare a brief lesson about the sacredness of the body. Encourage them to use a quotation from the talk along with their own personal experiences and testimonies.

  • Divide the quorum into pairs. Assign one individual in each pair to read Genesis 39:1–21 and the other to read Daniel 1:3–21 (for pictures of these stories, see Gospel Art Book [2009], nos. 11, 23). Ask them to look for ways Joseph and Daniel showed respect for their bodies and then share with each other what they find. How can they follow the examples of Joseph and Daniel?

  • Invite the young men to look at the table of contents in For the Strength of Youth and identify which of the standards relate to keeping their minds and bodies clean. Divide the quorum into groups, and have them search these sections and find answers to the question “Why should I treat my body like a temple?” Invite them to share what they can do to live these standards.

  • Show one of the videos suggested in this outline. Invite the young men to identify and discuss the analogies used in the video to explain the importance of keeping our bodies clean. What can they do to encourage each other to live the standards taught in the video?

  • Ask the young men to use the “Dress and Appearance” section in For the Strength of Youth to answer questions such as “What are the Lord’s standards concerning modesty?” “Why is it important to follow these standards?” and “How does our modesty show respect for the sacredness of our bodies?”

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young men to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a quorum to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young men a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young men apply what they learned in this lesson.