Sabbath

Keep My Commandments

The promises of the Lord to those who keep the Sabbath day holy are so wonderfully clear in the scriptures that they leave one asking, “Why would anyone throw away such blessings for the tawdry, temporary pleasures of the world?” Hear again the words of Jehovah as they roll down from Mount Sinai: “Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

“Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase. …

“… And ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

“And I will give [you] peace in the land, … neither shall the sword go through your land. …

“For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, … and establish my covenant with you. …

“And I will set my tabernacle [that is, my temple] among you. …

“And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.”

H. Albridge Gillespie - “The Blessings of Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy” - General Conference October 2000

The Fulness of the Earth is Yours

Though the doctrine pertaining to the Sabbath day is of ancient origin, it has been renewed in these latter days as part of a new covenant with a promise. Listen to the power of this divine decree:

“That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

“For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High. …

“And on this day … let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, … that thy joy may be full. …

“And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, … the fulness of the earth is yours.”

Russell M. Nelson - “The Sabbath Is a Delight” - General Conference April 2015

The Gifts of God

God promises His children that if they follow the precepts of His plan and the example of His Beloved Son, keep the commandments, and endure in faith to the end, then by virtue of the Savior’s Redemption, they “shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”Eternal life is the ultimate exceeding great and precious promise.

David A. Bednar - “Exceeding Great and Precious Promises” - General Conference October 2017

Love and Gratitude

The blessing of love we receive will make it easier for us to keep the commandment to “always remember him.” You may even feel love and gratitude, as I do, for the Holy Ghost, who Heavenly Father has promised will always be with us as we remain faithful to the covenants we have made. We can count all those blessings every Sunday and feel grateful.

The Sabbath is also a perfect time to remember the covenant we made at the waters of baptism to love and serve Heavenly Father’s children. Fulfilling that promise on the Sabbath will include participating in a class or quorum with full purpose of heart to build faith and love among our brothers and sisters who are there with us. That promise will include cheerfully fulfilling our callings.

Henry B. Eyring - “Gratitude of the Sabbath Day” - General Conference October 2016

90 Percent Plus The Lord's Blessings

It doesn’t seem logical that if I turn down work, I will make more money, and if I study one day less in a week, I will get better grades. Similarly, it does not seem logical that if I pay my tithing I can really do more with only 90 percent of my income. But that’s because part of the equation is missing. It isn’t really that I can do more with 90 percent than 100 percent. Rather, it is that 90 percent plus the Lord’s blessings equals more than 100 percent. It is so with all things in life for those who recognize their dependence on the Lord and put Him first in their lives and trust Him to fulfill His scriptural promises.

C. Raymond Smith - “Depending on the Lord: Gospel Insights from a Musician” - BYU Speeches

What we Should do on The Sabbath

Succeeding generations have been inspired by this founding vision and have endeavored to make real its promise—the promise of what I call freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.

I would like to read two scriptures that teach us what we should do on the Sabbath and that tell of the promises that come from keeping the Sabbath. The first scripture is found in the Old Testament in Leviticus 26:2–6, 9:

Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Earl C. Tingey - “The Law of the Sabbath” - BYU Speeches

Delight in the Lord

We read this in Isaiah about the Sabbath, and I affirm to you its truth:

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, honorable; and shalt honor 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, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. [Isaiah 58:13–14]

Dallin H. Oaks - “The Blessing of Commandments” - BYU Speeches

Unspotted From The World

In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear.

In our day the Lord has promised that honoring the Sabbath will help us in keeping ourselves “unspotted from the world.

Neil L. Andersen - “A Compensatory Spiritual Power for the Righteous” - BYU Speeches

Eternal Life in the World to Come

To “rest from your labors,” you stop the regular weekly routine in order to have time to do the work of the Lord and to worship the Lord on the Sabbath day. Note the promise if we do so.

Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fullness of the earth is yours . . . And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; . . . But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come. [D&C 59:9–10, 16, 20, 23; emphasis added]

Do you want to miss this promise? All mankind is seeking for peace. Yet peace—inner peace—and eternal life are within your grasp if you will but reach out and claim them by doing the works of righteousness.

A. Theodore Tuttle - “Principles with a Promise” - BYU Speeches

The Sabbath Can Heal Us

Keep the Sabbath day holy. The new consolidated meeting schedule will help us catch the spirit of this day. While growing up in my home, my family kept the Sabbath day holy. No sports. No everyday activities. There is a spirit about this day that will truly heal the soul. The day should center around the partaking of the sacrament, during which we can shed harmful thoughts and actions and receive an increase of the Spirit. The Sabbath can heal us for the week ahead. Don’t just keep the Sabbath, but catch the spirit of the Sabbath.

Loren C. Dunn - “Unity in the Faith” - BYU Speeches

Six Days Shalt Thou Labour

Many blessings flow from willing obedience to the commandments of God. The fourth commandment teaches us to “remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work” (Exodus 20:8–10).

To those who remember the Sabbath, the Lord has promised “the fulness of the earth” (D&C 59:16). Many can testify to the literal fulfillment of this promise.

Dennis B. Neuenschwander - “Remember, Remember” - BYU Speeches