This past Sunday during our worship meeting (called sacrament meeting), the speakers taught us about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Their talks were a reminder to me of the sacredness of Sunday and what a blessing it is to keep this commandment. I was reminded of this beautiful scripture from Isaiah 58:13-14
13 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 honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 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.
Verse 13 has been a guide for me in striving to keep the Sabbath day holy. As I have consistently sought to keep this commandment and follow Isaiah’s prescription on how to do it, I have found renewed strength, blessings too innumerable to count, even so many, that I don’t have room to receive them all, and above all, I have found peace. I feel strongly that because I strive to keep the Sabbath day holy, I have been able to enjoy academic success in medical school while being a husband and father of three children. I am not the smartest person in my class by a long shot, but my abilities to understand and retain information has been undoubtedly increased. This is just one example, but there are many more–my marriage is stronger to name one specifically. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I cannot afford to not keep the Sabbath day holy. But, it is not just the increased understanding or my marriage that drives me, it is the assurance, peace, and joy that I feel in my life that God is truly guiding my life. I know that I have found the strait and narrow way that leads to eternal life.
The commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy is still in effect today, just as it was in Isaiah’s day. I urge you to think about your doings on Sunday, change if necessary, and follow Isaiah’s counsel. Take God at his word. Put this commandment to the test. There will come into your life blessings that you never imagined. The promises of the Lord and his servants are true, but it is up to you to claim them.