Today's Favorite Verse: Hebrews 4:10-11

Today's favorite verse: Hebrews 4:10-11

"For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."

I pondered how in Paul's time just like ours people did not keep the Sabbath day holy. He is reminding us of the importance of resting on the Sabbath day. I notice the result otherwise is unbelief. It made me consider how I keep the sabbath day holy. Am I doing as I should? It would seem such a harmless thing to just run to the store for a quick something or go eat dinner out with family. Why is that so bad on Sunday? I know when I have gone to the store on Sundays, for necessary things like medicine for my kids, I would feel so conscious of breaking that commandment. The store just felt wrong. I almost want to say the store that I was at on Saturday, now felt like walking into a bar on a Sunday. Why is the very atmosphere even different? All I can think of is the spirit withdraws when I am in the wrong place at the wrong time. There never is a right time to be in a bar. For shopping there is a right time and a wrong time for that activity.

When the spirit is withdrawn there is no way to fill your lamp of the precious gospel oil. The sabbath day is the most important day for filling our lamps. I imagined for a moment going to church to fill my lamp and then participate in activities counter to keeping the day holy. Breaking the commandments has consequences. That single act is like punching a big hole in the bottom of my lamp. Not only is it not being filled I lost what I just gained. I can see how the effect over time would be no spiritual reserves to prevent dwindling in unbelief. Of course, if you didn't go to church at all the effects would happen even sooner.

There is a renewed emphasis at church on keeping the sabbath day holy. My bishop said we will be going over this in a combined meeting real soon. I know other wards already have. When I heard this announcement immediately I thought of the "The Family: A Proclamation to the World". At the time the words sounded so obvious I simply didn't appreciate what it meant, until 20 years later. I believe the renewed emphasis on keeping the sabbath day holy is inspired. I'm not so quick to label this as an obvious thing like I did last time. It's even possible it may not only be for our spiritual welfare but also our personal safety. We are told in order to survive we must stand in holy places and being in church is one such location. Look at what happened to the Nepal Saints when that first large earthquake hit on the Sabbath. 

I think to survive these latter days we need all the oil in our lamps as possible. Before Christ returns we must become a Zion people. There is no doubt that Zion people would keep the sabbath day holy. The real reason to keep it holy is because God commands it. If I love God I would do as he asks. Obedience brings blessings. One blessing is drawing close to Him and having His spirit always to be with me. I love Sunday, to me it is the best day of the week. 

Day 126 Tami Fitzgerald Harris