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Consider Your Ways

A bag with holes, a temple left half-built for fifteen years read by three readers, a high priest’s dirty clothes made clean, and holiness stamped on everyday stuff

  • 🔥 Youth 14–15
  • Week 50
  • 📅 Sunday, December 13, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

When I put the Lord first, my time and effort stop leaking out of a bag with holes, and through Jesus Christ He can make me clean and make even my ordinary life holy.

I can consider my ways, put the Lord first, and let Jesus Christ make my everyday life holy.

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 in Babylon, the Jews were allowed to go home. King Cyrus of Persia told them to rebuild the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, in Ezra 1. When the foundation was laid, many shouted for joy. Older people who remembered Solomon’s temple wept, in Ezra 3:10–13. Then opposition came, and the work stopped. It stayed stopped for about fifteen years, in Ezra 4:24. The people told themselves, “The time is not come,” in Haggai 1:2. Meanwhile they finished their own “cieled houses,” homes paneled with fine wood, in 1:4.

Around 520 B.C. the Lord sent Haggai and Zechariah, in Ezra 5:1–2. Haggai’s message was blunt: “Consider your ways.” The people worked hard but never had enough. It was like earning wages only “to put it into a bag with holes,” in Haggai 1:5–6. Nobody in this story was doing anything scandalous. They’d just let good, busy things push out the most important thing. Teens face the same problem. School, sports, jobs, friends and phones all matter. Any of them can quietly take the Lord’s place. The people listened and went back to work in a little over three weeks. They heard the Lord say, “I am with you,” in 1:13–15 and 2:4. The temple was finished a few years later, in Ezra 6:15–16.

Zechariah encouraged the builders with visions. Joshua the high priest stood in “filthy garments.” The Lord had them replaced with clean clothing: “I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee.” That’s Zechariah 3:3–5. It pictures what the Savior does through repentance, baptism and the sacrament. Zerubbabel’s mountain of problems would be leveled “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,” in 4:6–7. And Zechariah saw a day when even horse bells and cooking pots would say “HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD,” in 14:20–21. Today every temple carries the words “Holiness to the Lord.” Holiness isn’t only for the temple. It can be stamped on backpacks, phones, jobs and friendships. Your youth may already hold a limited-use temple recommend. This is a natural week to talk about the temple and worthiness, without pressure.

Zechariah also prophesied of Jesus Christ more than five hundred years early. He saw a humble King riding a donkey into Jerusalem, in Zechariah 9:9 and Matthew 21:1–11. He saw thirty pieces of silver, in 11:12–13, Matthew 26:14–15 and 27:3–10. He saw people looking on the One who was pierced, in 12:10 and John 19:37. And at the Second Coming, he saw the Savior showing the wounds in His hands, in 13:6. See also Doctrine and Covenants 45:51–53. Two weeks before Christmas, that’s a great reminder. The baby in Bethlehem is the King Zechariah was waiting for.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Haggai 1–2 and Zechariah 3–4. Show the bag with holes, or your cupped hands. Three volunteers read Fifteen Years of “Not Yet” from their seats. Say Haggai 1:5–6 and do the private audit. Ask a few What’s Leaking? questions. Close with the one thing you put first each day. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” Every step still works.

What to bring4 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. Text three readers on Saturday: the Narrator, Haggai and Zechariah. “Will you read a part from your seat on Sunday? Mark Haggai 1–2 and Zechariah 3–4.”
  2. Poke holes in the bag. Test it once over the sink.
  3. Think of the one small thing you put first each day and what difference it makes.

If your class is wild

  • Don’t turn the hook into phone-shaming. Teens already hear that. Keep it curious. Ask, “Where does your time go, and does it fill you up?” Include yourself.
  • Readers stay in their seats. The small cues on each scene, like a sigh or a hammer tap, are for everyone. They take two seconds.
  • Slow way down at scene 6. Joshua gets clean clothes he didn’t earn. That’s the heart of the lesson.
  • If someone pushes back with “So God wants me to quit sports?” welcome it. Haggai never said stop building houses. He said don’t let the Lord’s house sit in ruins while you do.
  • Keep temple talk warm and pressure-free. Some youth may not have a recommend, or may have family situations that make it complicated.

The 25-minute plan24 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

The Bag with Holes

3 min

Watching water drain out of a bag makes Haggai’s picture of wasted effort impossible to miss.

  1. SAY“This is your Saturday.”
  2. Pour water into the holey bag over the bowl. As it drains, narrate: “Two hours of scrolling… a show you weren’t even watching…”
  3. Ask: “Ever had a day that was completely full and still felt empty at the end?”
  4. A volunteer reads Haggai 1:5–6. Ask: “What’s the ‘bag with holes’ in this verse?”
  5. SAY“Haggai’s people weren’t doing anything terrible. They were just busy. Let’s find out what was leaking.”

Class screen: 💧 Full day, empty bag? · Haggai 1:6

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A zip-top bag with several holes poked in the bottom (or a paper cup with holes), a water bottle, and a bowl to catch the drips

  1. SAY“Cup your hands like you’re holding water. This is your Saturday.”
  2. Slowly spread your fingers as you narrate: “Two hours of scrolling… a show you weren’t watching…”
  3. Ask: “Ever had a day that was completely full and still felt empty at the end?”
  4. Read Haggai 1:5–6 aloud.
  5. SAY“Haggai’s people weren’t doing anything terrible. They were just busy. Let’s find out what was leaking.”
2. Story

Readers’ Theater: Fifteen Years of “Not Yet”

8 min

Three readers carry the class through the rebuilt temple story, so everyone hears Haggai’s warning and Zechariah’s hope in the prophets’ own words.

  1. SAY“It’s readers’ theater. I need three readers, reading from your seats. No acting. Everyone else, join in on the small cues on the screen.”
  2. Tap Roles in Teach Mode for the Narrator, Haggai and Zechariah. Readers read from real scriptures.
  3. After scene 3, ask what the paneled houses are for people our age. Good things that quietly crowd out the Lord.
  4. After scene 6, point out that Joshua didn’t clean himself. It was done for him. That’s what the Savior does.
  5. After scene 8, ask why the Lord would want “Holiness to the Lord” on everyday things like bells and pots.
🌪️ Pick readers who read well aloud and text them Saturday. Haggai can sound blunt. Zechariah should sound hopeful.

Class screen: 🏗️ Fifteen years of “not yet” · Haggai · Zechariah

3. Scripture

Consider Your Ways

4 min

A private audit turns the key verse into an honest look at where time and effort go.

  1. SAY“Here’s the verse from the bag.”
  2. Show Haggai 1:5–6 and say it together with the motions.
  3. A youth reads Haggai 1:7–8. In one sentence, they say what the Lord told the people to do instead.
  4. SAY“Private audit. Think it, or type it in your notes. Where does most of my time go? What fills me up? What am I saying ‘not yet’ to?”
  5. SAY“Haggai’s people didn’t fix everything at once. They just went back to work. And the Lord said, ‘I am with you.’”

Class screen: 🤔 “Consider your ways.” · Haggai 1:5–6

4. Talk it over

Real Talk: What’s Leaking?

6 min

Honest questions connect Haggai’s priorities, Joshua’s clean clothes and Zechariah’s everyday holiness to a teenager’s week.

  1. SAY“One question per screen. Answer honestly. Nobody’s grading.”
  2. Wait through the silence. Answer one yourself, honestly and briefly.
  3. If someone asks if God wants them to quit sports, welcome it. Haggai never said stop building houses. He said don’t leave the Lord’s house in ruins.
💬 Ask the class
  • The people said “the time is not come.” What are some things people our age put off with “not yet”?
  • You can be busy with good things and still have your priorities wrong. How would you know if that’s you?
  • Joshua didn’t clean his own clothes. It was done for him. What does that teach us about repentance and the Savior?
  • Picture “Holiness to the Lord” written on your phone, your job or your friendships. What would it take to get there?
  • Zechariah 4:6 says the work gets done by the Lord’s Spirit, not our might. Where do you need that right now?

Class screen: 💬 Real talk: what’s leaking?

5. Testimony

One Thing First

3 min

A simple testimony and one small commitment put the Lord first this week.

  1. SAY“Here’s the one small thing I put first each day.”
  2. Share your one thing and the difference it makes. Maybe it’s prayer before your phone, or a verse with breakfast.
  3. Testify that the Savior makes us clean, like Joshua’s new clothes. Invite each youth to silently pick one thing to put first this week.
  4. Show the challenge. Invite someone to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: ☝️ One thing first. · Haggai 1:8

6. Wiggle break

Chair Temple Challenge

3 minBONUS

A timed team build gets everyone moving and shows the Lord’s work needs everybody.

  1. SAY“Two teams. You have forty-five seconds to build a temple from chairs, jackets, backpacks and scriptures. Spire required. Go!”
  2. Start the Big Timer.
  3. Each team steps back, and the other team names one thing that works. In round two, teams get thirty seconds and everyone adds one piece.
  4. SAY“The builders in Haggai’s day needed everybody. So does the Lord’s work now.”
🌪️ Nobody stands on chairs. Nothing gets stacked on people.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🛕 Chair Temple: 45 seconds. Spire required.

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

4 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews Haggai and Zechariah.

  1. SAY“Two teams. Pick your captains.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. Teams huddle ten seconds, and only the captain answers. A missed question can be stolen by naming the chapter.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Haggai and Zechariah

Readers’ theater

Readers’ Theater: Fifteen Years of “Not Yet”

Ezra 3–6; Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 3–4; 14:20 ↗

Reading parts (volunteers, from their seats)

  • NarratorReads each scene from the screen, from their seat.
  • HaggaiFrom their seat, reads Haggai’s verses from real scriptures (Haggai 1:2, 1:4, 1:5–6, 2:4): blunt, but not mean.
  • ZechariahFrom their seat, reads Zechariah’s visions from real scriptures (Zechariah 3:3–4, 4:6–7, 14:20): full of hope.

Scenes

  1. 🏚️🎺 Home from Babylon, and a foundation laid

    After about seventy years as captives, the Jews are finally home. King Cyrus tells them to rebuild the Lord’s temple. When the foundation is laid, the builders shout for joy. But the old-timers who remember Solomon’s temple weep out loud.

    🙌 The Narrator reads the scene. Then everyone gives one quiet cheer and one quiet sigh, at the same time.

  2. 🛑⏳ Opposition. The work stops. For fifteen years.

    Enemies stirred up trouble and got the work stopped. Months passed. Then years. About fifteen of them. The foundation sat there collecting weeds. And the people’s excuse was simple: “The time is not come.” Not now. Maybe later.

    🙌 Haggai reads Haggai 1:2. Everyone mutters, “Not yet… maybe next year.”

  3. 🏡✨ Meanwhile, their own houses look amazing

    The strange thing? The people weren’t idle. They were busy building their own houses, with fine wood paneling on the walls. They had time and money for their own projects. Just not for the Lord’s.

    🙌 Haggai reads Haggai 1:4.

  4. 💰🕳️ Haggai: Consider your ways

    Haggai tells them to stop and look at their lives. They plant a lot and harvest little. They eat and aren’t full. They earn money, and it vanishes. It’s like wages dropped into a bag with holes. What’s leaking is their priorities.

    🙌 Haggai reads Haggai 1:5–6. Everyone pats their pockets: “Where did it all go?”

  5. 👷🔨 They listened, and got back to work

    Here’s the surprise. The people listen. In a little over three weeks, they’re all back at work. Zerubbabel the governor. Joshua the high priest. And all the people. The Lord’s message through Haggai? Be strong, and work, for I am with you.

    🙌 Haggai reads Haggai 2:4. Everyone taps a slow, steady hammer beat on the table.

  6. 🧥➡️🤍 Zechariah’s vision: dirty clothes made clean

    Zechariah sees a vision. Joshua the high priest stands before the angel of the Lord, in filthy clothes. The angel has the dirty clothes taken off. Clean ones are put on. Joshua doesn’t scrub himself clean. It’s done for him.

    🙌 Zechariah reads Zechariah 3:3–4. Pause after “I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee.”

  7. ⛰️➡️🟫 Not by might, nor by power

    Zerubbabel faced a mountain of problems. Enemies. Money. Discouragement. Zechariah gave him the Lord’s word. This wouldn’t be done by strength or power. It would be done by the Lord’s Spirit. And the mountain in front of him would become flat ground.

    🙌 Zechariah reads Zechariah 4:6–7.

  8. 🏛️🔔 The temple finished, and holiness everywhere

    A few years later, the temple is finished and dedicated with joy. And Zechariah sees a day coming. Even the bells on horses will carry the words “Holiness unto the Lord.” Even the pots in people’s kitchens. Not just the temple. Everything.

    🙌 Zechariah reads Zechariah 14:20. Everyone says, “Holiness to the Lord.”

Key verse

Haggai 1:5–6 ↗
“Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little … he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”
In plain words: Stop and look at your life. You’re working hard but getting little out of it, like earning money and dropping it into a bag with holes.
🙌 “Consider your ways” = tap your temple twice, then open your hands like a book · “sown much” = scatter seeds wide · “bring in little” = pinch a tiny amount · “a bag with holes” = cup your hands and let your fingers spread so it all drains out

More verses

Zechariah 3:4 ↗
“Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”
In plain words: Take the dirty clothes off him. Then the angel told Joshua that his sin was taken away and he would be given clean clothes.
Zechariah 4:6 ↗
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
In plain words: Not by your strength or your power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.
Zechariah 14:20 ↗
“In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD”
In plain words: Someday even the everyday stuff, like the bells on horses, will say “Holiness to the Lord.”
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 and He saves, and He comes humbly, riding a young donkey.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 📢 Haggai
  • 🔭 Zechariah
  • 🧱 Zerubbabel
  • 🧥 Joshua the High Priest
  • 🕳️ Bag with Holes
  • 🏡 Paneled Houses
  • 🏗️ Foundation
  • 👑 King Cyrus
  • 🏯 Babylon
  • 🧺 Filthy Garments
  • ⛰️ Mountain
  • 🔔 Horse Bells
  • 🫏 Donkey
  • 🪙 Thirty Pieces of Silver
  • 🎫 Temple Recommend
  • ✨ Holiness
Clues for each word
  • Haggai: Prophet who said “Consider your ways”
  • Zechariah: Prophet with visions of clean clothes and horse bells
  • Zerubbabel: Governor who led the temple rebuild
  • Joshua the High Priest: His filthy clothes were replaced with clean ones
  • Bag with Holes: Where Haggai said their wages were going
  • Paneled Houses: The fancy homes they built instead of the temple
  • Foundation: Laid with shouting and weeping, then ignored for years
  • King Cyrus: Persian king who let the Jews go home and rebuild
  • Babylon: Where the Jews had been captives for about 70 years
  • Filthy Garments: What was taken off the high priest in the vision
  • Mountain: Zerubbabel’s problems, flattened by the Lord’s Spirit
  • Horse Bells: Zechariah saw “Holiness unto the Lord” written on them
  • Donkey: The humble King rides one into Jerusalem
  • Thirty Pieces of Silver: A price Zechariah saw, fulfilled with Judas
  • Temple Recommend: What youth show to do baptisms in the temple
  • Holiness: Written on every temple: ___ to the Lord
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What excuse did the people give for not rebuilding the temple?
    • A. “We have no wood”
    • B. “The time is not come”
    • C. “The prophet said wait”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “The time is not come” Haggai 1:2. Not now, maybe later: about fifteen years of it.

  2. About how long did the temple rebuild sit stalled?
    • A. Fifteen years
    • B. Fifteen days
    • C. Seventy years
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Fifteen years Opposition stopped the work, and the people let it stay stopped.

  3. What were the people building for themselves instead?
    • A. City walls
    • B. Ships
    • C. Paneled (cieled) houses
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Paneled (cieled) houses Haggai 1:4. Their homes were beautiful while the Lord’s house lay in ruins.

  4. Haggai said their wages went into what?
    • A. A locked chest
    • B. A bag with holes
    • C. The king’s treasury
    Show answer

    ✅ B. A bag with holes Haggai 1:6. Working hard, getting nowhere.

  5. What did the Lord promise when the builders went back to work?
    • A. “I am with you”
    • B. “You will be rich”
    • C. “No more enemies”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “I am with you” Haggai 1:13 and 2:4. Be strong and work, for I am with you.

  6. In Zechariah’s vision, what happened to Joshua the high priest?
    • A. He was crowned king
    • B. He was sent away
    • C. His filthy clothes were replaced with clean ones
    Show answer

    ✅ C. His filthy clothes were replaced with clean ones Zechariah 3:3–5. A picture of how the Savior takes away our sins.

  7. Zechariah 4:6: not by might, nor by power, but by what?
    • A. By my Spirit
    • B. By your works
    • C. By the sword
    Show answer

    ✅ A. By my Spirit The Lord’s work gets done by His Spirit, not our muscle.

  8. Where did Zechariah see “HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD” written?
    • A. On the city gate
    • B. On the bells of the horses
    • C. On the king’s crown
    Show answer

    ✅ B. On the bells of the horses Zechariah 14:20. Even ordinary things can be holy.

  9. Zechariah 9:9 says the King comes riding on what?
    • A. A war horse
    • B. A chariot
    • C. A donkey’s colt
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A donkey’s colt Fulfilled when Jesus rode into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–11).

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • High on the Mountain Top Hymns, no. 5

    A hymn about the Lord’s house rising, just like the temple Haggai’s builders finished. Find it ↗

  • Come, Follow Me Hymns, no. 116

    Putting the Lord first means following Him in the ordinary parts of life. Find it ↗

  • Joy to the World Hymns, no. 201

    Zechariah said “Rejoice greatly… thy King cometh.” Two weeks before Christmas, sing it. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

One Thing First

Pick one thing to put first every day this week, before your phone and the rush. Try a prayer, a few verses, a Come, Follow Me reading, or a text to someone who needs it. Then pick one everyday thing, like your phone, earbuds or car keys. Make it “Holiness to the Lord” this week.

Text the parents

Today in class we studied Haggai and Zechariah. God’s people let the temple sit half-built for about fifteen years while they finished their own nice houses. Haggai told them to “consider your ways,” in Haggai 1:5–6. Zechariah saw a high priest’s filthy clothes replaced with clean ones, in Zechariah 3:4. It’s a picture of what the Savior does for us. Ask your teen what they decided to put first each day this week, and how the family can help.

📝 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?

🏛️ The Glory of the Latter House · 4 min

  1. Read Ezra 3:11–13 and Haggai 2:3–9. The old-timers thought the new temple looked like nothing next to Solomon’s.
  2. Ask why the Lord promised this smaller temple would have greater glory. One answer: the Savior would one day teach there, after Herod enlarged it.
  3. Ask: “Have you ever felt like what you had to offer was small? What does Haggai 2 say about that?”

🫏 Your King Is Coming · 4 min

  1. Read Zechariah 9:9, then Matthew 21:1–11.
  2. Ask: “Why would the King of kings choose a donkey instead of a war horse? What does that say about how He comes into our lives?”
  3. Connect it to Christmas. He came first as a baby in a stable. Humility is His style.

🎫 The Temple and You · 5 min

  1. Invite someone who’s done temple baptisms lately to share what it was like. Keep it to a minute, no pressure.
  2. Ask why the temple says “Holiness to the Lord” on the outside. Ask what it means to walk in with a recommend.
  3. If there’s time, plan a ward youth temple trip together. Or remind them how to talk to the bishop about a recommend.

🏷️ Holiness to the Lord: Label Everything · 5 min

  1. Read Zechariah 14:20 together. Ask, “If horse bells can be holy, what about your stuff?”
  2. Each team gets three “Holiness to the Lord” sticky notes and about sixty seconds. They stick them on everyday things, like a phone, earbuds or car keys.
  3. Teams pitch each item: “This could be holy this week if…” The other team gives thumbs up for real, doable pitches.

🧩 Prophecy Match-Up · 4 min

  1. Give each pair a Zechariah reference: 9:9, 11:12–13, 12:10 or 13:6.
  2. Each pair finds the match. The options are Matthew 21:1–11, Matthew 26:14–15 and 27:3–10, John 19:34–37, and Doctrine and Covenants 45:51–53.
  3. Each pair reports in one sentence. What did Zechariah see, and what happened?

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 14–15 lessons