...that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world...

I want to put out a disclaimer for what I am about to write. I do not in any way shape or form want to write and have it taken as an "I am more Holy than thou" post. I have simply been contemplating a lot on what I am about to write about.

As most of you know my wife and I are expecting our first child and we have talked on and off about certain things that we want to teach our children. One of those is proper Sabbath day worship. We both agree on the same things and I am grateful that I have a wonderful companion in my sweetheart.

Now again this topic (and post) is very opinionated, and there hasn't been too much said on the subject as to what we can/cannot do on the Sabbath as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Through modern-day revelation however the Lord has said the following (D&C 59:9-10):

"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;"

Elder L. Tom Perry gave a talk based on this scripture and said the following:

"As we consider the pattern of the Sabbath and the sacrament in our own lives, there appear to be three things the Lord requires of us: first, to keep ourselves unspotted from the world; second, to go to the house of prayer and offer up our sacraments; and third, to rest from our labors."

Those three things are the most important things to do on the Sabbath let me give my opinion why. 

1. To keep ourselves unspotted from the world. 

I don't know if anyone else feels this way but I don't really regret not watching TV or sports on Sunday. I really don't. I grew up in a home that if we wanted to watch the television on Sunday we would have to watch Inspirational Church Videos or Family Videos. That is what I did every single Sunday if I did do that. There are a lot of crazy shows out today. I am actually pretty happy that we don't have cable in our apartment, that would be such a large distraction and waste of time. 

But not only are the shows getting more and more interesting, the commercials are even worse! How many ads have some type of immodest clothing on it? Can we really choose what comes out of the screen or the speakers when we turn on cable? I think that when it was revealed as "That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world" it was preparing families for a time that the worldly things can easily enter into the home. 

2. To go to the house of prayer and offer up our sacraments. 

Every Sunday members of the church partake of the sacrament to remember the Savior and His sacrifice. We believe that when we partake of the sacrament we renew our covenants that we have made with Him, or promise to keep those covenants more fully. The Savior gave that example at least twice. Once with His Apostles in Jerusalem (Matthew 26:26-28), and again with his disciples in the Ancient Americas (3 Nephi 18:7-12). 

Another good (but definitely not as important) reason for going to church on the Sabbath is for the interaction that we get with other members. Although we are all different, and have had many different experiences in life we can all benefit from reading and teaching the scriptures together. Today was what we call "Fast and Testimony Meeting" where people share their testimonies (or beliefs) of the Gospel. This can help boost the faith of both the person sharing their testimony and those listening.

Church shouldn't just be another place where people "hang out". There are other activities throughout the week, but on Sunday more than any other day it should be a day of learning and reverence. 

3. To rest from our labors. 

There are many different interpretations of this, and some will disagree with me on this particular part as well. 

I am super busy throughout the week. Honestly there are some days during the week that I see my wife at 7am when we wake up and then at 10pm when we go to bed. My weeks are pretty stressful: working full-time, school part-time, church callings to juggle, and then I have some time for "us time". Now, I'm not complaining (maybe just a little) but I tell  you all of this because I know that I am stressed and am trying to do as little that I can sometimes. 

Sunday is truly a day for me to serve in the church and then to go home and rest with my family. Tonight I was able to spend time with my wife and talk with her about how she is feeling. We were able to counsel with each other on a couple of subjects and then we made dinner/dessert together. When I get done with this post we'll spend more time together. It has been a very peaceful afternoon/evening. 

There are somethings that need to be done. If someone is sick and needs medical attention: Go to the Doctor, and get the needed medication. If you have a flat tire and know that it would be detrimental to it to drive it around, at least get the spare on there. Some might say otherwise. I believe that those are important to take care of when it happens. I know that personally I have made a promise with Heavenly Father that I will not do homework on the Sabbath. And each person really needs to remember that how they worship is really between them and Heavenly Father. 

So you might be thinking to yourself right now, "Ok Cleave you're starting to beat a dead horse here" and I don't mean to. I simply know that is so nice to be able to follow the counsel that has been given to us through Prophets and Apostles across the ages. I invite you to take time to think about how you could strengthen your relationship with Heavenly Father by keeping the Sabbath day holy. I know that I have been blessed by doing that.