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Consider Your Ways

A bag with holes, a temple left half-built, and what it means to engrave “Holiness unto the Lord” on your everyday stuff

  • 🧭 Youth 11–14
  • Week 50
  • 📅 Sunday, December 13, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

When I put the Lord and His house first, He blesses my efforts and helps me make even ordinary parts of my life holy.

I can consider my ways, put the Lord’s house first, and make my everyday life holy to the Lord.

Study it yourself firstRead Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14)
Know the chapters

After about seventy years of exile, some of the Jews came home from Babylon and started rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. They laid the foundation with shouting and tears (Ezra 3:10–13), but their neighbors worked to frustrate them and the building stopped (Ezra 4:4–5, 24). Years went by. The people built themselves nice paneled homes while the Lord’s house sat unfinished. In the second year of King Darius, the Lord called the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to get them moving again (Ezra 5:1; Haggai 1:1).

Haggai’s message is short and sharp: “Consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5, 7). The people worked hard but never had enough, like earning wages and dropping them into “a bag with holes” (1:6). When they put the Lord’s house first, He promised, “I am with you” (1:13). Youth this age get this instantly: time and energy can leak out of a life through screens, games and busyness. Haggai’s question is not “Are you busy?” but “Are you busy with what matters most?” They finished the temple a few years later and dedicated it with joy (Ezra 6:15–16).

Zechariah encouraged the builders with visions. The high priest Joshua has his filthy clothes replaced with clean ones, a picture of the Savior’s power to make us clean (Zechariah 3:3–5). The governor Zerubbabel is told the work will succeed “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit” (4:6). Zechariah also saw a day when “HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD” would be written even on the bells of the horses and the cooking pots (14:20–21). Those same words were engraved on the high priest’s golden plate (Exodus 28:36), and they appear on temples today. The point: holiness isn’t only for the temple. It can mark ordinary things and ordinary days.

Zechariah also points straight at Jesus Christ. He foresaw the King coming “lowly, and riding upon an ass” (Zechariah 9:9; fulfilled in Matthew 21:1–11), thirty pieces of silver (11:12–13), and the wounds in His hands (13:6). For eleven- to fourteen-year-olds, this lesson connects naturally to the temple: many of them now hold (or will soon hold) a limited-use temple recommend for baptisms and confirmations for the dead. Helping them put the temple first is Haggai’s message for them.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Haggai 1:2–8, Zechariah 4:6 and Zechariah 14:20–21. Tap “I brought nothing” so every step uses its no-supplies version. Do the Hole-y Pockets hook, let a youth narrate the unfinished-temple scene, teach “Holiness unto the Lord” with finger “engraving,” play Human Temple, and end with one Consider Your Ways question in silence.

What to bring5 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Cut 4–5 holes in the bottom corner of the zip-top bag, big enough for coins or candy to fall through. Test it.
  2. Split the cups into two equal stacks for two teams.
  3. Bookmark Ezra 3:11–12, Ezra 4:24, Haggai 1:4–8, Haggai 1:12–14, Zechariah 4:6, Zechariah 14:20–21 and Ezra 6:15–16.
  4. Add names in the My Class tab. Give Haggai to someone with a big voice and Zerubbabel to a steady leader type.
  5. Know your youth’s temple situation: who has a limited-use recommend, when your ward’s next temple trip is. You’ll mention it.

If your class is wild

  • The bag with holes is funny and memorable. Let a youth be the one holding it while you “pay” them, and let the coins hit the floor.
  • Put two captains in charge of the cup race. Captains pick jobs (builders, runners, question answerers) so everyone has a role.
  • If a youth mentions being nervous about their first temple trip, take it seriously and let others who’ve gone share what it’s like.
  • Never shame anyone about screen time. Ask them to evaluate their own “holes”; you share yours first.
  • Use “Consider your ways!” as your attention signal; they answer “Build the house!” and freeze.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Payday in a Bag with Holes

3 min

A quick, funny object lesson makes Haggai’s “bag with holes” impossible to forget.

  1. Hand a youth the bag with holes. Say: “You just mowed lawns all week. Payday!” Drop coins or candy in one at a time while they hold it up. Watch them fall out.
  2. Keep “paying” with a straight face: “Why aren’t you getting richer? I’m paying you!”
  3. Ask the class: “What in a teenager’s life works like a bag with holes? Where does your time or energy leak out and you have nothing to show for it?”
  4. SAY“A prophet named Haggai used this exact picture. The people had a temple to finish and it had sat half-built for years. Let’s see what happened.”
🌪️ If you used wrapped candy (allergies and ward policy checked), let them keep what lands on the floor. They’ll remember the lesson.

Class screen: 👛 Payday! Why isn’t the bag filling up? · Haggai 1:6

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A zip-top bag with several holes cut in the bottom, plus a handful of coins or wrapped candy (if you use candy, check allergies and your ward’s treat policy first)

Hole-y Pockets

  1. Ask everyone to hold out cupped hands with their fingers spread wide. Say: “Payday! You mowed lawns all week.”
  2. Walk around and “pour” invisible coins into their hands with sound effects (tap ding on the Sound Board). They let them fall through their fingers onto the floor.
  3. Ask: “What in a teenager’s life works like this? Where does time or energy leak out and you have nothing to show for it?”
  4. SAY“A prophet named Haggai called it ‘a bag with holes.’ The people had a temple sitting half-built for years. Let’s see what happened.”

Class screen: 🤲 Payday! Why does it all fall through? · Haggai 1:6

2. Story

Scripture Scene: The Temple That Sat Unfinished

6 min

Acting out the rebuilding shows why the Lord asked His people to put His house first, and how He helped them do it.

  1. Tap Roles in Teach Mode and hand out parts. Everyone else is a Builder.
  2. The Narrator reads each scene from the screen. Hand your scriptures to Haggai (Haggai 1:4–6) and then to Zechariah (Zechariah 4:6) for their lines.
  3. Keep it moving: pause for each action, then advance.
  4. After the last scene, ask: “Why do you think the Lord cared so much that they finish His house before their own projects?”
  5. SAY“It wasn’t because God needed a building. It was because the people needed what happens in His house.”
🌪️ If the Neighbors get too into it, remind them their weapon is words only, and they switch to being Builders after scene 2.

Class screen: 🏗️ The temple sat half-built for years. Then a prophet spoke up. · Ezra 3–6 · Haggai 1–2 · Zechariah 3–4

3. Wiggle break

Up to the Mountain

2 min

Haggai 1:8 becomes a fast-action workout that burns energy before the scripture step.

  1. Everyone stands. Pick a youth caller. Actions: “Go up to the mountain!” (climb in place) · “Bring wood!” (swing an axe, then carry a log on your shoulder) · “Build the house!” (hammer) · “Consider your ways!” (freeze, finger on chin).
  2. The caller speeds up. Anyone who does the wrong move does a slow-motion “log carry” across the room and rejoins.
  3. Switch callers once. End on “Build the house!” and have everyone say Haggai 1:8 together from the screen.
🌪️ If it gets rowdy, the caller switches to “Consider your ways!” and holds the freeze for 10 seconds.

Class screen: ⛰️ Climb the mountain, bring wood, build the house! · Haggai 1:8

4. Scripture

Holiness unto the Lord

4 min

Zechariah 14:20 shows them that holiness can be engraved on ordinary life, not just on the temple.

  1. Have a youth read Zechariah 14:20–21. Ask: “Horse bells and cooking pots? Why would anyone engrave ‘Holiness unto the Lord’ on those?”
  2. Explain: these words were engraved on a gold plate the high priest wore (Exodus 28:36), and they’re written on temples today. Zechariah saw a day when ordinary things would be just as holy.
  3. Hand out two sticky notes each. Ask each youth to write “Holiness unto the Lord” and stick it (for real, for 30 seconds) on something they use every day: their phone case, backpack, shoes, water bottle.
  4. Ask: “If your phone really had those words on it, what would change about how you use it?”
  5. Teach the motions and say Zechariah 14:20 together twice.

Class screen: 🔔 Holiness unto the Lord, even on horse bells and cooking pots · Zechariah 14:20 · What would you engrave it on?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Sticky notes (two per youth) and a few pens

  1. Have a youth read Zechariah 14:20–21. Ask: “Horse bells and cooking pots? Why would anyone engrave ‘Holiness unto the Lord’ on those?”
  2. Explain: these words were engraved on a gold plate the high priest wore (Exodus 28:36), and they’re written on temples today.
  3. Ask each youth to pick one thing they use every day (phone, backpack, shoes) and “engrave” the words on it with their fingertip while saying them.
  4. Ask: “If your phone really had those words on it, what would change about how you use it?”
  5. Teach the motions and say Zechariah 14:20 together twice.
5. Game

Build the House

4 min

A competitive cup-temple race reviews the story and shows that small efforts add up when we keep building.

  1. Two teams, each with a captain. Each team starts with 5 cups; the rest are the “supply.”
  2. Ask a review question to one team at a time (from the story or the quiz). A right answer earns 3 more cups.
  3. After 5–6 questions, call “Go up to the mountain!” and give teams 45 seconds to build the tallest temple that stands on its own.
  4. Tallest standing temple wins. Ask: “What made the winning temple work?” (A solid foundation, teamwork, not quitting when it fell.)
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🏛️ Earn cups, then build the tallest temple in 45 seconds! · Right answer = 3 cups

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: 20–30 paper or plastic cups for the temple-building race

Human Temple

  1. Two teams, each with a captain. Ask review questions from the story; each right answer earns the team 10 seconds of build time.
  2. Teams use their bodies to build a temple: pillars, arches, a spire. Start the Big Timer with each team’s earned seconds.
  3. When time is up, the other team rates it 1–10 for creativity and stability (it has to hold for 5 seconds).
  4. Ask: “What made the best temple work?” (A plan, teamwork, a solid foundation.)

Class screen: 🧍 Build a temple out of your team!

6. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews the whole lesson.

  1. Two teams, one captain each. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Huddle 10 seconds; only the captain answers.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

7. Talk it over

Consider Your Ways

4 min

Honest questions help youth look at their own priorities and at the temple in their own life.

  1. Sit in a circle. Show one question at a time and wait 10 quiet seconds before answers.
  2. Answer at least one yourself, honestly. If you mention your own “bag with holes,” they’ll open up.
💬 Ask the class
  • The people built nice houses while the temple sat unfinished. What “nice houses” can crowd out the Lord in a teenager’s life?
  • If you’ve been to the temple for baptisms, what was it like? If not yet, what are you curious or nervous about?
  • Zechariah said the temple would be finished “not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit.” What’s something hard you can’t do on willpower alone?
  • What’s one ordinary thing in your week (school, practice, your phone, chores) you could make “Holiness unto the Lord”?

Class screen: 🤔 Consider your ways

8. Testimony

One Thing First

2 min

End quietly with testimony and one personal decision to put the Lord first this week.

  1. Lower your voice. Share briefly what the temple means to you, or what happens in your week when you put the Lord first.
  2. Mention the next temple trip or how to get a limited-use recommend (starting in January of the year you turn 12) if it fits your class.
  3. Ask everyone to silently choose one “hole” to patch this week and one way to put the Lord’s house first.
  4. Show the challenge and invite a youth to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🏛️ Patch one hole. Put the Lord’s house first. · Haggai 1:5 · I am with you. (Haggai 1:13)

Story drama

The Temple That Sat Unfinished

Ezra 3–6; Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 3–4 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • NarratorReads each scene from the shared screen.
  • HaggaiThe blunt prophet: reads Haggai 1:4 and 1:5–6 to the people.
  • ZechariahThe encouraging prophet: reads Zechariah 4:6 to Zerubbabel.
  • ZerubbabelThe governor who leads the builders and gets discouraged, then gets back to work.
  • Joshua the High PriestLeads the temple work with Zerubbabel; gets a “clean robe” in Zechariah’s vision.
  • BuildersMost of the class: lay the foundation, stop, relax at home, then get back to work.
  • NeighborsTwo youth who try to stop the building (with words, no touching).

Scenes

  1. 🧱😭 Home from Babylon: the foundation is laid

    After about seventy years away, the Jews return to Jerusalem. The temple is rubble. They lay a new foundation, and the crowd shouts for joy, while the old people who remember Solomon’s beautiful temple weep. You can hardly tell the shouting from the crying.

    🎬 Builders lay pretend stones. Half the class cheers; the other half fake-weeps dramatically.

  2. 🙅🛑 The neighbors push back. Work stops.

    Some neighbors don’t want the temple built. They discourage the builders, make trouble and even hire people to fight the project with the king. It works. The building stops, and the half-built temple sits there for years.

    🎬 Neighbors wag fingers: “You’ll never finish!” Builders freeze mid-hammer and slowly sit down.

  3. 🏡🛋️ Nice houses. Empty temple.

    Meanwhile, people get busy with their own lives. They build nice homes with fancy wood-paneled walls. The Lord’s house is still a pile of weeds and stones. Then the Lord sends a prophet named Haggai.

    🎬 Builders lean back in their chairs, relaxed, scrolling pretend phones. Haggai reads Haggai 1:4.

  4. 👛🕳️ “Consider your ways.”

    Haggai says: Think about it. You plant a lot and harvest a little. You eat and you’re still hungry. You earn money and it disappears, like putting your paycheck in a bag with holes. Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house.

    🎬 Haggai reads Haggai 1:5–6. Builders check their pockets and find them empty.

  5. 🔨🙌 The people listen and get to work

    This time the people actually listen. Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest and everyone else go back to work. And the Lord sends a short message through Haggai that changes everything: “I am with you.”

    🎬 Zerubbabel and Joshua lead the Builders in hammering, sawing and lifting. Everyone says together: “I am with you.”

  6. 🧥✨ Filthy robes traded for clean ones

    Zechariah sees a vision: Joshua the high priest stands in filthy clothes. The angel of the Lord commands that the dirty robes be taken off and clean ones put on, and says his sin is taken away. It’s a picture of what Jesus Christ does for anyone who comes to Him.

    🎬 Joshua pretends to shrug off a heavy, muddy robe and is handed a clean one. The Builders say, “Clean!”

  7. 🕯️💪 “Not by might, nor by power”

    Zerubbabel still has a mountain of work in front of him. Zechariah brings him the Lord’s word: this won’t get done by strength or power, but by the Lord’s Spirit. The mountain will become a plain.

    🎬 Zerubbabel strains to lift an imaginary huge stone. Zechariah reads Zechariah 4:6. Zerubbabel lifts it easily.

  8. 🏛️🎉 The house is finished!

    A few years later the temple is finished. The people dedicate it with great joy. It isn’t as grand as Solomon’s, but it is the Lord’s house. Centuries later, enlarged by King Herod, it is the temple Jesus will visit.

    🎬 Builders form an arch with their arms. Everyone cheers.

Key verse

Zechariah 14:20 ↗
“In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.”
In plain words: One day even horse bells and cooking pots will be marked “Holiness unto the Lord.” Ordinary things can be holy.
🙌 “In that day” = point far ahead · “bells of the horses” = jingle a bell and gallop in place · “HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD” = trace the words in the air like you’re engraving them · “the pots in the LORD’S house” = hold a big pot · “like the bowls before the altar” = lift the bowl up reverently

More verses

Haggai 1:5–6 ↗
“Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough … he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”
In plain words: Think about how you’re living. You work hard and never have enough, like dropping your money into a bag with holes.
Haggai 1:8 ↗
“Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.”
In plain words: Go get the wood and build My house. It will make Me glad.
Zechariah 4:6 ↗
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
In plain words: You won’t do this by being strong or powerful, but with the Lord’s Spirit.
Zechariah 9:9 ↗
“behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
In plain words: Look, your King is coming. He is fair, He saves, and He is humble, riding a young donkey.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 📣 Haggai
  • 🕯️ Zechariah
  • 🧭 Zerubbabel
  • 🧥 Joshua the High Priest
  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 🧱 Foundation
  • 👛 Bag with Holes
  • 🏯 Babylon
  • 🔔 Bells of the Horses
  • 🍲 Cooking Pots
  • 🫏 Donkey
  • 🪙 Thirty Pieces of Silver
  • ✋ Wounds in His Hands
  • 🎫 Temple Recommend
  • 🪵 Wood
  • 🕎 Candlestick
Clues for each word
  • Haggai: Told the people “Consider your ways”
  • Zechariah: Prophet who saw visions to encourage the builders
  • Zerubbabel: Governor who led the temple rebuilding
  • Joshua the High Priest: His filthy robes were replaced with clean ones
  • Temple: The Lord’s house that sat unfinished for years
  • Foundation: Laid with shouting and weeping
  • Bag with Holes: Where the people’s wages seemed to go
  • Babylon: Where the Jews had been in exile for about seventy years
  • Bells of the Horses: Zechariah saw “Holiness unto the Lord” written on them
  • Cooking Pots: Even these would be as holy as temple bowls
  • Donkey: Zechariah said the King would come riding one
  • Thirty Pieces of Silver: The price Zechariah foresaw, fulfilled with Judas
  • Wounds in His Hands: Zechariah 13:6 points to the Savior’s
  • Temple Recommend: Lets youth do baptisms for the dead
  • Wood: “Go up to the mountain, and bring…”
  • Candlestick: Golden object in Zechariah’s vision in chapter 4
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. Where had the Jews been for about seventy years before coming home?
    • A. Egypt
    • B. Babylon
    • C. Nineveh
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Babylon They were carried to Babylon, and some returned to rebuild Jerusalem.

  2. Why did the temple building stop?
    • A. Neighbors opposed it
    • B. They ran out of stone
    • C. A flood came
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Neighbors opposed it Ezra 4:4–5, 24: opposition discouraged them and the work stopped for years.

  3. What did Haggai say the people’s wages went into?
    • A. A treasure chest
    • B. The temple
    • C. A bag with holes
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A bag with holes Haggai 1:6: they worked hard but never seemed to have enough.

  4. What phrase did Haggai repeat to the people?
    • A. “Build faster”
    • B. “Consider your ways”
    • C. “Fear not”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “Consider your ways” Haggai 1:5 and 1:7: think about how you’re living and what comes first.

  5. What was taken off Joshua the high priest in Zechariah’s vision?
    • A. Filthy garments
    • B. A heavy crown
    • C. Chains
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Filthy garments Zechariah 3:4: a picture of the Savior making us clean.

  6. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my…”
    • A. Army
    • B. Gold
    • C. Spirit
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Spirit Zechariah 4:6: the work would succeed through the Lord’s Spirit.

  7. Zechariah saw “Holiness unto the Lord” written on the bells of what?
    • A. The temple
    • B. The horses
    • C. The city gates
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The horses Zechariah 14:20: even ordinary things can be holy.

  8. Zechariah said the King would come riding on what?
    • A. A chariot
    • B. A camel
    • C. A colt, the foal of an ass
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A colt, the foal of an ass Zechariah 9:9, fulfilled when Jesus entered Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–11).

  9. How did the people feel when the temple was finally dedicated?
    • A. Joyful
    • B. Disappointed
    • C. Afraid
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Joyful Ezra 6:16: they dedicated the house of God with joy.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Love to See the Temple Children’s Songbook, p. 95

    They sang it in Primary; now many of them actually get to go. Sing it with new meaning. Find it ↗

  • Come, Follow Me Hymns, no. 116

    Considering your ways is really asking, “Am I following Him?” Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Engrave Your Week

Pick one everyday thing (your phone, your backpack, your cleats) and make it “Holiness unto the Lord” this week: use it in a way you’d be glad to show the Savior. Then patch one “hole” where your time leaks out, and use that time for the Lord: family history, scripture study, or preparing for the temple.

Text the parents

Today in class we learned how the returning Jews left the temple half-built for years until the prophet Haggai told them, “Consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5), and how Zechariah saw “Holiness unto the Lord” written even on horse bells and cooking pots (Zechariah 14:20). Ask your youth: what everyday thing did you choose to make “holy to the Lord” this week, and is there a temple trip or family name we could prepare for together?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🔗 Prophecy Match-Up · 6 min

  1. Write or read these Zechariah prophecies: 9:9 · 11:12–13 · 12:10 · 13:6.
  2. Teams race to match each one with its fulfillment: Matthew 21:1–11 · Matthew 26:14–16 and 27:3–7 · John 19:37 · Doctrine and Covenants 45:51–52 (the Second Coming).
  3. Ask: “Why would the Lord reveal these details about 500 years early? What does that teach you about Jesus Christ?”

⛰️ Mountain into a Plain · 4 min

  1. Read Zechariah 4:6–7. Ask each youth to name (silently or out loud) one “mountain” in their life right now.
  2. Ask: “What would ‘not by might, but by my spirit’ look like for that mountain?”
  3. Share a time the Lord helped you do something you couldn’t do on your own.

🎫 Temple Trip Prep · 5 min

  1. Invite a youth who has done baptisms for the dead to explain what happens, step by step, for those who haven’t gone yet.
  2. Talk about getting a limited-use recommend: an interview with a member of the bishopric, and questions about faith and living the gospel.
  3. If you can, bring up the ward’s next temple trip and let them plan how to bring a family name.

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Youth 11–14 lessons