Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

What does the Sabbath mean to me?

Most of all I have the wonderful opportunity to be as clean as when I was baptized by partaking of the sacrament at church.  Also I get to be with and learn from (and sometimes teach) other wonderful members and visitors.  Because of those reasons, the Sabbath becomes a day of refreshment and spiritual upliftment and edification.  As one of our scriptures says: "He that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth... Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together." (Doctrine and Covenants 50:21-22)

Experiencing that understanding by the Spirit while at church helps me to strive to keep the rest of the Sabbath just as uplifting.  The Sabbath becomes a day to seek for Spiritual truth and to serve and lift others.  Studying the scriptures, praying and singing hymns helps me to receive that truth which I need.  Activities such as visiting home-bound members and singing hymns for people in a nursing home are a couple ways that I have sought to offer service.

With all of this to do it becomes easier to let go of activities that are not suited to the Sabbath.  These activities are not necessarily bad (indeed, we may participate in them throughout the week), but they don't help lift us spiritually and they don't help us remember God.  Such activities as shopping or attending a sporting event should be kept from diminishing the purpose and meaning of the Sabbath.

We have the promise of the Lord that we will be blessed as we seek to sanctify the Sabbath:

"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth." (Isaiah 58:13-14)

"Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours... he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and the Spirit beareth record. Amen.(D&C 59:16,23-24; see also verses 9-15)

I know that the Lord fulfills His promises, for I have seen His hand in my life and I know of His goodness and mercy and of His relationship to us as our Loving Father!