Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 10:31

Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 10:31
"And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt."

This reminded me of when I was a kid and the stores would close on Sunday. I actually think there were laws against them being open. Slowly over the years that began to change. I'm not really sure what stores are closed now. I actually don't go shopping on Sunday to find out. Which actually is the point. If people kept the Sabbath day holy and didn't shop, there would be no desire for store to be open in the first place.

“I was in another stake, also in a reorganization program, and another brother was considered for one of the highest positions; and when we asked him of his occupation, he said he was a grocer by trade. ‘Well, most of the stores keep open on the Sabbath. Do you?’ ‘We lock our store on Sunday,’ he said. ‘But how can you compete with these people who are open seven days a week?’ ‘We compete. At least we get along very well,’ was his reply. ‘But would not the Sabbath be your biggest day?’ ‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘we would probably sell twice as much on the Sabbath as we would on an average day, but we get along without it, and the Lord has been kind; he has been gracious; he has been good.’ … And I could not refrain from saying, ‘God bless you, my faithful brother. The Lord will not be unmindful of these seeming sacrifices. Your dollars are clean. They will surely not hinder you in finding your way into the kingdom of God.
We note that in our Christian world in many places we still have business establishments open for business on the sacred Sabbath. We are sure the cure of this lies in ourselves, the buying public. Certainly the stores and business houses would not remain open if we, the people, failed to purchase from them.”
(Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, Chapter 16: The Sabbath-A Delight)

Day 3885

Today's Favorite Verse: Leviticus 26:2-4

Today's Favorite Verse: Leviticus 26:2-4
"Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
If ye walk in my statues, 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."

The last time I read these verses was in 2021. We were in a drought at the time. Since then we broke a 40 year snow record that helped to fill our reservoirs. This past year we had hardly any snow, carried into summer with hardly any rain. We have fires burning out of control. I once again am thinking about the words of President Spencer W. Kimball spoken in his home ward.

"Living the Law of the Fast:
President Kimball encouraged us to follow his example in living the law of the fast. As we did, the members of the ward gained great blessings. During these years, the Monument Park 2nd ward led the Church in the per capita amount of contributions made to the Fast Offering fund of the Church. On one occasion when the entire Church had been requested to fast and pray for the Lord to remove the drought conditions, President Kimball taught us the power that come from knowing the scriptures.
When he came to Sacrament meeting, my usual custom was to greet him and ask him if he had any instructions for the bishopric as the presiding officer. His usual response was: “Carry on bishop as thought I were not here.” On this Sunday, I had been delayed in my office I did not have the chance to greet him before coming to the stand. During the course of the meeting, the Spirit prompted me to ask him if he would like to give the closing prayer on this special occasion. I quickly wrote the following note and passed it to the chair which he always sat in saying: “In light of the special fast, would you care to offer the closing prayer? Bishop Oswald.” A few minutes the note came back to me with this answer penned in red ink: “Or say a word or two before the prayer, either—as you say.”
At the close of the meeting, I said that because of the special nature of the worldwide fast being observed by the members of the Church, I had asked President Kimball if he would take a few minutes and instruct the congregation on the importance of the fast. For the next ten minutes, the members of the ward had the opportunity to witness a Prophet of God, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, speak with power and authority. Without any notes, President Kimball quoted from memory several passages from the Old Testament on the importance of fasting and prayer in petitioning the Lord to send forth rain. He recited the pattern found in the scriptures where God had withheld rain in order to teach the people to be humble and obedient as they acknowledge their dependence upon the Lord for the blessings given conditional upon their personal righteousness. President Kimball wonder aloud whether or not the members were living the commandments to be worthy of asking God to open the windows of heaven and send forth the moisture so necessary to sustain life. It was a masterful demonstration of one who, over a lifetime of scriptural reading and study, had come to know the scriptures and the Author of those sacred writings given to Gods prophets in past dispensations.
At the end of the meeting, the Prophet prayed. Afterwards, the congregation was immovable and did not want to leave or break the marvelous Spirit that was present and felt by all. Many members went home and wrote in their journals of having been taught that day by a living Prophet speaking under the mantle of his authority and by the influence of the Spirit. It was a sacred experience worth remembering and recording in personal journals.
The Relief Society president wrote in her journal: “President Kimball is such a tremendous example to us all. He spoke so much about our personal worthiness as a prerequisite to fasting and praying for the rain, that I am sure there were many present today who did some deeply introspective soul searching of our own, as I did.” “Then I had the most thrilling experience of my life. I heard the Prophet pray. I felt the very heavens open up in that sweet but powerful communication between our Heavenly Father and his most chosen of all servants on the earth. He thanked the Lord for the Prophets of old–in a manner that made me feel he had a very personal relationship with those prophets. . . As I left my choir seat at the close of the meeting, brushing the tears from my eyes, I saw the members of the congregation, men and women alike, doing the same. We were all visibly moved by the power, the sweetness and the challenge of this most significant prayer. Especially to hear the humble Prophet say: “Lord, we pray that we may be found worthy to ask.”
----
"Recalling President Kimball’s calling made manifest in their ward:
The entire Monument Park 2nd ward was present in Sacrament Meeting the day in which President Kimball ended 3 days of his personal fasting and prayer, because of his concern over the national drought that year. President Kimball took a unique direction in this Sacrament Meeting....speaking, then ending his address in prayer. As he spoke, he stopped for many seconds....looked upward to the chapel ceiling...then said "Brothers and Sisters, the Lord has just made it known to me that the reason for the drought we have been experiencing is that we have become a nation of Sabbath breakers. He then began his prayer which was amazing to hear...he addressed Heavenly Father as GOD, creator and governor of the Universe. It was so very reverent and worshipful with infinite respect for His Godhood. President Kimball then prayed and promised the Lord that we would make new efforts to keep his Sabbath day holy. Within weeks, church publications began emphasizing the Sabbath, and within a week after that, the rains began to fall...and the nationwide drought was ended. As one little ward in Zion, we witnessed the prophet and the Lord working together on a global scale."
(Monument Park Second Ward, "A Heritage of Faith", A History of the Wards of the Salt Lake Bonneville Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1976-2014, page 241-242, 252)

Day 3784

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 20:7

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 20:7

"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."

I wondered if this was the first mention of holding the Sabbath on the first day of the week? I knew the change came in remembrance of the Lord's resurrection.

"Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognize Sunday as the Sabbath in commemoration of the fact that Christ came forth from the grave on Sunday, and the Apostles commenced meeting thereafter on the first day of the week."

(Earl C. Tingey, "The Sabbath Day and Sunday Shopping", Apr 1996)

I also know that not all members of our church observe the Sabbath on the first day of the week. This change was authorized by President Harold B. Lee in 1972 after visiting the Holy Land. Among Jews we will meet on Saturdays, and in Muslim lands on Friday. This is only with permission of the First Presidency that changes were made on the day of the week. Members observe the Sabbath designated for their area.

"One of the first things we asked, in a simple way, was, “Can we meet on the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) for worship services instead of Sunday?” And as we might have expected, he said no. He said there was no precedent for this, and clearly Sunday is the Lord’s day. But before he left, President Lee asked, “Would you please write a letter and address it to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve and explain why you made that request?” President Lee continued, “I have felt in the course of our visit to this land that that question was too important to answer on the spur of the moment.” We explained to him that for investigators to come to church on a Sunday was nigh unto impossible because Sunday is a normal workday and they would have to miss work. To bring their children to Sunday School or Primary they would have to take them out of school. Also, we all had obligations on Sunday. It was a normal school day for us at the university or wherever we were engaged."

"It took a couple months to get a response to that letter, but it came back positive authorizing us to meet on Saturdays instead of Sundays and allowing the small Church community in Egypt and other Muslim lands to meet on Fridays at the same time, because they too were struggling with similar problems (Friday being the Muslim holy day). In the letter, President Lee referred us to Doctrine and Covenants 124:49, indicating that we were freed from the obligation to meet on Sunday. Even more to the point, he referred us to Romans 14, the entire chapter. That was exciting because it speaks of the Sabbath day and our dietary preferences and that we must not destroy someone’s faith over things that are not paramount to our personal righteousness. It is a nice way to look at ourselves. So we were formally authorized to worship on Saturday, and for us that authorization was a big thing."

(David B. Galbraith, "The Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies: Reflections of a Modern Pioneer", Religious Educator Vol.9 No. 1-2008)

Day 3197

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 2:27

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 2:27

"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:"

The prophet explains this verse best.

"What did the Savior mean when He said that “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”? I believe He wanted us to understand that the Sabbath was His gift to us, granting real respite from the rigors of daily life and an opportunity for spiritual and physical renewal. God gave us this special day, not for amusement or daily labor but for a rest from duty, with physical and spiritual relief.

In Hebrew, the word Sabbath means “rest........I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father...... “What sign do I want to give to God?” 

(Russell M. Nelson, "The Sabbath Is a Delight", Apr 2015 General Conference)

Day 3118

Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 13:15-16, 19, 21

Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 13:15-16, 19, 21

"In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.

There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.

Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath."

Nehemiah observed the Jews were breaking the Sabbath. In an effort to control the observance of the Sabbath the gates were shut during that time frame. That kept the merchants and sellers from coming in to sell their wares. The merchants were also ordered to not lodge themselves outside the walls or they would be punished.

This made me ponder on how stores used to be closed on Sundays when I was younger. Now its nothing to see the stores open and people shopping. Restaurants are open and full. I never could understand how people would go out to eat right after attending church. Unless we were traveling we didn't eat out. I thought about how keeping the merchants out, stores closed, and even sporting events off limits really did help a community and its attention to God on the Sabbath. I really miss what used to be. Now my observance of the Sabbath truly is a sign I give to God. There is no one saying what I can and cannot do on that day. It is my choice on how I worship Him. But, with that choice and greater freedom is the right to simply fall away and worship myself on that day.

Day 2585

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 21:6

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 21:6

"So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away."

The story of Ahimelech the priest giving David the shewbread to eat, was retold by Jesus to the Pharisees. They had asked if it was lawful on the sabbath day for Jesus to go through a corn field with his disciples, and for them to pluck ears of corn and eat it.

"But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?"

(Matthew 12:3-4)

David partaking of the shewbread, which was only for the priests, was technically a violation of the Mosaic Law. Jesus, however, used this incident to show that in times of dire necessity a breach of the ritual law was not a sin. As Paul said, "the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (2 Corinthians 3:6)

(Old Testament manual, 1 Samuel 16-31: King David's Call to Lead Israel, 25-22)

Day 2416

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 23:24-25

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 23:24-25

"When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.

When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn."

These verses made me think of the time when Jesus and his apostles went into a field and plucked ears of corn and ate them.

"And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."

(Mark 2:23-28)

I remember when I could not understand these verses. For it sure sounded like Jesus and his apostles stole corn, but instead the Savior speaks to the Pharisees about the sabbath day. What Jesus was teaching was according to the law of Moses you could pluck corn from a field, as long as you didn't take to it far and use a sickle to gather the ears. Yet the Pharisees and their oral laws took the activity allowed on the sabbath day to far. Among other things they said you couldn't go into a field and pluck corn on the sabbath. That was not what the law of Moses said. So Jesus was telling them not to go beyond the mark. That is exactly what President Nelson has counseled on our behavior on what is acceptable or not on the sabbath day, and what sign we are giving to God.

"How do we hallow the Sabbath day? 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.

(Russell M. Nelson, "The Sabbath is a Delight", Apr 2015, General Conference)

Day 2335

Today's Favorite Verse: Leviticus 23:3

Today's Favorite Verse: Leviticus 23:3

"Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings."

This chapter speaks of the various feasts the children of Israel celebrated. It was a time of gathering, harvest, rejoicing, renewal and remembrance. The only thing out of this list that I observe is the Sabbath as a day of rest, and worship. I guess what is different is I observe the sacrament. That is a feast of a different type right there. In many ways I can see the previous feasts observed are cumulative into the spiritual renewal, feasting on the spirit and remembrance of the Savior that come by partaking of the sacrament.

Day 2272

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 31:13

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 31:13

"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.

I actually had a discussion regarding this earlier this morning. I was talking about something I did on the Sabbath day that I typically do not do. I even quoted a talk by President Nelson on it. When I thought about the sign I was giving my Heavenly Father, because of my desire to help another in need, I knew it was acceptable to Him.

"How do we hallow the Sabbath day? 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.

(Russell M. Nelson, "The Sabbath is a Delight", May 2015 General Conference)

Day 2240

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 71:9

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 71:9

"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you - there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper."

The Lord will always directed this church to be at least two-steps ahead of those that wish to destroy it. This also made me reflect on all the revelations that were given to the saints before this pandemic hit. In April 2015 President Nelson speaks on keeping the Sabbath day holy, and it being a sign unto God in how we honor it. In 2016 we were given the Teaching in the Savior's Way classes. So all the members could learn to teach the gospel as the Savior did. In April 2018 we learn to minister to others in a new way. Jan 2019 we begin Come, Follow Me as we begin to worship in our home every day by studying the scriptures together as a family. Jan 2020 a new Youth program starts. Then March 2020 all that changed with the pandemic and we needed to now worship in our homes instead of going to church. Even if that weapon is a virus causing a world-wide pandemic it does not stop the church from moving forward, and the saints from worshipping the Lord. He has made sure we were prepared and had time to practice before it was vital for us to use what was in place.

Day 2074

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 2:27

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 2:27
"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."

Have you ever wondered why Christians went from worshiping the Sabbath on Saturday to Sunday? This verse I believe explains why.

The Lord rested on the seventh day after having created the world. Before Christ's coming the sabbath was worshiped on the seventh day being Saturday. In the New Testament it went to the "Lord's day" (Rev 1:10) observing the first day of the week, when Christ was resurrected from the tomb. (Act 20:7) Not unlike the Israelites being told to worship on the seventh day to commemorate when they were delivered from bondage. (Deut 5:12-15) It is a similitude of Christ delivering us from bondage through his resurrection.

The sabbath is for man's benefit, a day of prayer and rest, when we are to worship God. Not just any type of worship, but a public worship, dividing the believers from the nonbelievers. Where we can strengthen and instruct one another, and renew our covenants by partaking of the sacrament. In fact I can totally understand how the early Christians wanted to separate themselves from the nonbelievers of Jesus Christ. They instead moved the sabbath day to worship on the day of his resurrection. It was sign between them and God that this day was set aside to worship the Father and the Son.

If the sabbath is made for man then it stands as reason to worship when we as a people can best honor him. To God I do not believe the day matters. It is the heart. Though there are conditions. Being a public worship we worship with our congregations on a day set aside every seven days. It is part of the perpetual covenant to worship in this time cycle. It is the time frame God has ordained as our needing rest, and worship, otherwise we cannot feed and heal body and soul. If the congregation is worshiping on Sunday then we cannot change and say oh, but I will worship on Friday this week.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not all worship on Sunday. The majority do, but there are congregations, particularly in the Middle East, that gather other days of the week. It is both in practicality in being able to work, and in order to not give offense to the customs in that area. It is necessary so the meetings can be held when members can be present. It is conditional, for authority is given them by the prophet to meet as a congregation on a day set aside for that area. I have heard of days ranging from Thursday to Sunday, but am not aware of any Monday-Wednesday congregations. Though the possibility could still be out there.

Does it matter if some Christian faiths worship the sabbath on a Saturday or Sunday? For me, this is a matter that needs no contention.

"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." (Articles of Faith 11)

I don't think God is going to ask when I worshiped him, but instead IF I worshiped as a perpetual covenant with Him.

Letter by President Harold B. Lee to the Jerusalem Branch 

regarding the Sabbath, dated November 20, 1972. 

 
Day 1534

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 20:12, 20

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 20:12, 20
"Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.
And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God."

How I worship on the Sabbath is a sign to God. If I hallow it, I will be sanctified. That is a great promise. I reflected on what a difference reading the scriptures has made in how I keep the Sabbath day holy. I am much more observant of what I do. Sunday is my favorite day of the week. It is the best day to study the word of God. I prepare all week by reading the word of God, and then on Sundays He in turns blesses me with a greater capacity to understand. Part of the sign is I will know, "I am the Lord your God".

Day 1397

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 17:22-23

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 17:22-23
"Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction."

Today is Saturday, and Saturday is a special day. Once again I find myself singing the Primary song while involved in preparations. This has been ingrained in me since my childhood from goodly parents.

Saturday is a special day.
It's the day we get ready for Sunday:
We clean the house, and we shop at the store,
So we won't have to work until Monday.
We brush our clothes, and we shine our shoes,
And we call it our get-the-work-done day.
Then we trim our nails, and we shampoo our hair,
So we can be ready for Sunday!

I found a quote I was looking for with scripture references on why I honor the Sabbath Day on Sunday, the first day of the week and not on the last.

"Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognize Sunday as the Sabbath in commemoration of the fact that Christ came forth from the grave on Sunday, and the Apostles commenced meeting thereafter on the first day of the week."
(Earl C. Tingey, April 1996 General Conference talk "The Sabbath Day and Sunday Shopping")
(see John 20:1-6, Luke 24:1, Mark 16:1, Matt 28:1, Acts 20:7)

Of the many things I love about the Sabbath it is what I will learn this day that excites me the most. Be it at church worshiping with my brothers and sisters, or home personally studying the scriptures or with my family, the spirit seems the strongest on this day to give me instruction. This is a tender mercy of the Lord to open my eyes and ears especially on His Holy Day. I totally get it when the Lord says that to not honor the Sabbath day you will not hear or receive instruction. I think that is the little sign God gives back to me if I am honoring His day or not.

Day 1337

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 58:13-14

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 58:13-14
"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, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

I absolutely love the Sabbath day. It is a delight to me. It wasn't always so. My soul is well feed and rested on this holy day, as I am more careful about what I do before and after going to church. I love sitting with my family discussing what we learned at church that day. We just can't wait to come home to talk with each other. I can't wait for next year's home-centered gospel learning. We have been prepared and it can only get better. I sit in amazement on how enlightening it is to study the scriptures particularly on this day, either with family or by myself. Pondering the scriptures is the greatest investment of my time on this day. I am so grateful for all the gospel learning materials available at my fingers. I am so blessed.

Day 1312

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 56:2, 6-7

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 56:2, 6-7
"Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing an evil."
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people."

I love the sabbath and I love the temple, both are a delight to me. So with both of these verses I had a hard time choosing only one as my favorite. Then I saw they go hand in hand. For it is by learning to keep the sabbath holy that I give a sign to God on how I love Him. In turn he blesses me with joy in His holy house. 

Day 1310

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 104:34

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 104:34
"My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord."

I thought of the beauty of remembering and pondering on the Lord. How sweet my scripture reading time is to me. How glorious the Sabbath day is as I ponder on the Lord during the sacrament. These are sweet times and I would not trade the for the world. No one knows my heart, but Him.

Day 1157

Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 13:22

Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 13:22
"And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy."

This made me reflect on all that I do in preparation for the sabbath day, and to keep it holy. How important keeping the gates is to this day. For it is an effort to keep the world out. As I have tried to make all that I do on this day be a sign to God, that I love him, it has been a tender and sweet day to me. I learn so much as I ponder the scriptures on the sabbath day. It is the best day of the week, and my soul is filled. It makes me strong enough to face the remainder of my week. It often makes me think of Mary and Martha. How Martha was cumbered about with much serving, while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and heard his words. Martha asked the Lord to bid her help.

"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
(Luke 10-41-42)

On the sabbath day I sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to his words. I keep the gates to shut the world and its cares out. I am promised if I continue to do so it shall not be taken away from me. That is very important to me.


Day 1001

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Chronicles 2:4

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Chronicles 2:4
"Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel."

I sat and pondered on the word "This is an ordinance for ever to Israel". The temple today is not the temple of yesterday. There is no sweet incense, shewbread or burnt offerings. I don't celebrate the solemn feasts they had back then. Why is that?  Then I read in Matthew 12 where Jesus and his apostles plucked and ate corn on the Sabbath day, which was not lawful to do. He reminded them of when David ate the shrewbread. Then in verses 6-8.

"But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."

So what did all these things of the temple in the Mosaic Law point to?  It was Christ, his ultimate eternal sacrifice. In the house of the Lord I make sacred covenants through his ordinances. On the Sabbath Day I renew these covenants through the ordinance of the sacrament. All things point to Christ and covenants I have made to him, through sacred ordinances. I cannot go back and practice the law of Moses, for it is a dead law. It was fulfilled in Christ, and he lives. To do so would deny the Christ and his atonement.

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
(Hebrews 9:14)

We live a higher law now. Nothing really changed, for all of it was to worship Him. I make and keep sacred covenants through the ordinances which point to Him. It is His ordinances that stretch into the eternities forever.


Day 944

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 28:10

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 28:10
"This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering."

This made me think of the sacrament. Last week I had a thought came to me "What if there are sins I have committed that I had forgotten about and never repented of? In the act of committing them I might not have cared one way or the other. Now I do care, and I need to repent, but I didn't know what of?" That thought troubled me. I just knew there was a lifetime of sins I had forgotten about. How could I think of them all individually to repent of them? For I knew no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God and I must repent. Then the thought came to me, how I had a simply solution. During the sacrament I could ask to be forgiven and have my sins removed from me, and washed clean from them. Just like when I was baptized. I could start over with a clean slate and be more conscience of what I do from that day forward.

During the sacrament, I sincerely prayed about my desire to be made clean of all my sins. I took the bread and it felt the same as other weeks. Not saying that is bad at all, for there is peace. But, when I took the water, the final step in completing the sacrament, I felt it. I felt it wash over me. It really was like I had just been baptized. Like a fire inside that was just refreshingly cooled off. I now had a clean slate ahead of me. Renewing my covenants is just like being baptized again. It is true!  What joy there is to know I can do this every week. For I know how hopelessly flawed I am, and I cannot make it with just one shot at it. There is hope. I marvel at how this gift has been there all along. I just had to simply ask.


Day 720

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 15:32-33, 35-36

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 15:32-33, 35-36
"And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses."

This reminded me of Leviticus 24 where the son that blasphemed was also stoned to death. Why would someone be stoned for breaking the sabbath day?  I went back and found the punishment for this crime was given even in Exodus. I pondered on how blasphemy was the charge they used against Christ to kill him. I remembered that breaking the sabbath day was a crime the scribes and Pharisees wanted to charge Jesus with also.

"And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him." (Luke 6:7)

I hadn't realized until now why they were so intent on wanting to charge Jesus with breaking the sabbath day. I am grateful I didn't live during those times. I cannot even imagine being told to stone someone for picking up sticks on the sabbath. I'm sure having done that it would left an lasting impression in your mind never to follow in the path of the sinner. I would hope I can learn that lesson just as well having read about this. I keep thinking about how many people today you would find in the stores on the sabbath day. How many people would need to be stoned to death if we still lived the law of Moses. That just makes me ill. If God is the same yesterday, today and forever he must be displeased with our society today. I wondered if in some way stones are still being cast on those that break the sabbath day. Unseen stones that wounds the soul and lets it die. Pondering on this is making me see the seriousness of breaking the sabbath. I need to think about what sticks I might be picking up that maybe sending the wrong message to God. I love the Lord I do not wish to offend, but only show my love and honor to him. What message am I sending to Him?


Day 707