Sabbath Day

                Sunday is the Sabbath Day.  God commanded His children to keep the Sabbath Day holy, and this commandment is still in force.   Millions of people obey this commandment and keep the Sabbath Day holy.  After Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on stone with His finger.  The commandment to keep the Sabbath Day holy was the fourth commandment given.

                “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

                “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

                “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God:  in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

                “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:  wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11).

                This commandment was renewed in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith:  “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.”

                Millions of people keep the Sabbath Day holy every week.  For some it is an easy commandment to keep; for others it is more difficult.  Many people are able to schedule their work around the Sabbath Day, but some people – such as police, firemen, emergency room doctors, etc. – have to work on Sunday. 

                For those unfortunate people who work on Sunday in order to protect and serve their fellowmen, Kelsey Berteaux  suggested “10 Ways to Feel theSpirit on Sundays Even When You Have to Work.”  “Making room for Christ in your Sunday work day is no substitute for standard Sunday worship, but sometimes our circumstances make it so we simply can’t avoid working on the Sabbath.  No matter where we are and what we’re doing, here are a few different things to try (in addition to Sunday scripture study) that worked for me to put a little `sun’ [more appropriately `Son’] back into my `day.’”

                Ms. Berteaux’s suggestions are:  (1) Don’t miss morning prayer; (2) wear your Sunday best; (3) take the sacrament if you can, even if it isn’t with your ward; (4) use your breaks to your advantage and study the scriptures and lesson materials; (5) be a blessing to those around you by serving them; (6) focus on the good you’re doing; (7) ask someone at church to take notes for you; (8) seek other sources of inspiration by reading a General Conference talk or watching a Mormon message; (9) visit the temple during the week; (10) turn your thoughts to Christ and choose to keep the Sabbath as holy as possible.

                Keeping the Sabbath Day holy brings blessings into our lives.   Some of those blessings are very obvious while others are less easy to see.  Firoz “King” Husein has been in the news lately because he keeps the Sabbath Day holy.  He was born in Bombay, India, in 1946 as Firoz Mohamed Husein.  He was born into a Muslim family in the largest Hindu country in the world.  As an adult he was taught the gospel of Jesus Christ and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  There he learned the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy.

                Husein is the owner and founder of Span Construction and Engineering.  His company specializes in engineering and constructing large steel buildings.  His company has been building warehouses for Costco for the past two decades.  At the beginning of the partnership, he told the Costco executive board that he would not work his people on Sundays.  Costco did not like his firm Sabbath Day stand but gave his company a contract. 

                “Two decades and all those millions of square feet later, Tom Walker, Costco’s executive vice president of construction and logistics, says of Husein, `He’s a fantastic vendor for us, an incredible person, and he earns everything he gets.  He’s on schedule, on time, construction costs are under control and he does it in lightning speed.’

                “Add Walker:  `He’s always available; I can reach him anytime, day or night.  But not on Sundays.  He’s absolutely blank on Sundays.”  

                God gives us commandments to bless us.  Then when we obey those commandments He blesses us.  The more obedient we are, the more blessings we receive.  My family and I honor the Sabbath Day and have received many blessings for doing so.