The Sabbath Day is for Us

By Elder Thierry K. Mutombo

First Counselor in the Africa Central Area Presidency

One of the great challenges of our days is to stay focused on the things that matter most and to not neglect them because of the things of this troubling world. The things that matter most are those things that last forever and help us to achieve our divine potential. What we become depends on the things that we choose to focus on.

President Lorenzo Snow taught:

“We are too apt to forget the great object of life, the motive of our Heavenly Father in sending us here to put on mortality, as well as the holy calling with which we have been called; and hence, instead of rising above the transitory things…, we too often allow ourselves to come down to the level of the world without availing ourselves of the divine help which God has instituted, which alone can enable us to overcome [those transitory things].”¹

One of the powerful sources of divine help instituted by our Heavenly Father to help and allow us to rise above the things of the world’s level and corruption is the Sabbath day.

He commanded: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). He instructed Moses saying:

“Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. …

“Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

“It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:13, 16–17).

In Hebrew, the word Sabbath means “rest.” The purpose of the Sabbath dates to the Creation of the world, when after six days of labor the Lord rested from the work of creation. We understand why our Heavenly Father invites us to keep it holy.

The Sabbath is God’s time and a sacred day, prepared for us to elevate our vision from the things of the world to the blessings of eternity, so we can “look to God and live” (Alma 37:47. See also verse 46). The Sabbath day is a gift from God to us.

In our dispensation the Lord said:

“And 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” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–10).

How do we use this day to grow closer to our Heavenly Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ?

God has made this sacred day available for us and He has commanded that on the Sabbath day we attend Church meetings, partake of the sacrament to renew our covenants as we remember the Atonement of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ and keep this sacred day holy as individuals and as families, and minister to others, particularly those who are not feeling well, those who are lonely or in need. (See Matthew 25:35–40.) As you lift and strengthen others and help them to draw closer to the Savior, you will find that you are also drawing closer and closer to Him as well.

What is the sign that we give to show our love to the Lord?

President Russell M. Nelson taught, “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.”²

What are the promised blessings to those that obey and keep the sabbath day holy?

We will always have the companionship of the Holy Ghost with us (See 3 Nephi 18:7,11.)
We will know Him as our Lord and God (See Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:20.)
We will draw closer to Him and be perfected in Him (See Doctrine and Covenants 82:10, Moroni 10:32–33)
We will strengthen our family ties
We will stand as witnesses of God
We will receive great spiritual and temporal blessings
We will be full of joy
The fulness of the earth is ours (Doctrine and Covenants 59:16–19)
We will build our life upon the rock who is Jesus Christ
We will stay on the covenant path

I was 10 years old when my family embraced the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I was baptized the same day with my dad and mum. One of the new aspects of the culture of the gospel that we enjoyed was attending Church meetings on Sunday, renewing our covenants, and keeping this sacred day holy in our home. My family used to live very far from where Church meetings were held. I remember that as a family we prepared for the Sabbath day. My parents reminded us during family home evening what to do to prepare for the Sabbath day. We prayed, studied the scriptures and prepared our clothes during the week. On Sunday, we woke up early in the morning having only one thing in mind, which was getting ready to arrive on time at the gathering place at least 30 minutes before the meeting started.

My dad used to say that if you are in a rush and get to sacrament meeting all sweaty, you will have a hard time focusing on what matters the most during the sacrament meeting, which is the Savior Jesus Christ.

The Savior identified Himself as Lord of the Sabbath. (See Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5.) It is His day! The Savior Himself kept the Sabbath day holy during His mortal life. (See Matthew 12:9–13, Luke 4:16, John 5:9.)

I will never forget these lessons from my parent’s example and their devotion to the Lord. Sister Mutombo and I strive to teach the same principles to our children even though it is not always easy.

The Lord said, “Inasmuch as parents have children in Zion … that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:25).

I invite parents and children to make the sabbath day a high priority. Do not let anything become a roadblock for yourselves and your families to have access to the promised blessings to those that obey and keep the sabbath day holy. No one else can do it.

In the October 2018 general conference, our belove prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, announced an adjustment to achieve “a new balance and connection between gospel instruction in the home and in the Church.”³

He said that “the long-standing objective of the Church is to assist all members to increase their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Atonement, to assist them in making and keeping their covenants with God, and to strengthen and seal their families. In this complex world today, this is not easy. The adversary is increasing his attacks on faith and upon us and our families at an exponential rate. To survive spiritually, we need counterstrategies and proactive plans. Accordingly, we now want to put in place organizational adjustments that will further fortify our members and their families.

“For many years, Church leaders have been working on an integrated curriculum to strengthen families and individuals through a home-centered and Church-supported plan to learn doctrine, strengthen faith, and foster greater personal worship. Our efforts over these recent years to hallow the Sabbath—to make it a delight and a personal sign to God of our love for Him—will be augmented by the adjustments we will now introduce.

“This morning we will announce a new balance and connection between gospel instruction in the home and in the Church. We are each responsible for our individual spiritual growth. Scriptures make it clear that parents have the primary responsibility to teach the doctrine to their children. It is the responsibility of the Church to assist each member in the divinely defined goal of increasing his or her gospel knowledge.”⁴

The Sunday meeting schedule was adjusted to two hours to allow more time for a home evening and to study the gospel at home on Sunday or at other times as individuals and families may choose.

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve added:

“There is so much more to this adjustment than just shortening the Sunday meetinghouse schedule. … The purposes and blessings associated with this adjustment and other recent changes include the following:

“Deepening conversion to Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthening faith in Them.
“Strengthening individuals and families through home-centered, Church-supported curriculum that contributes to joyful gospel living.
“Honoring the Sabbath day, with a focus on the ordinance of the sacrament.
“Helping all Heavenly Father’s children on both sides of the veil through missionary work and receiving ordinances and covenants and blessings of the temple.”⁵

We are truly blessed to be led by living prophets and apostles in our days. I know that we are all sons and daughters of a loving and caring Heavenly Father. He desires our progression and joy which is possible only through His Son Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ and His Atonement gives hope and purpose to our life.