Counsel to Make Sabbath a Delight

This past week we had Ward Conference and the theme has been one that I've heard in General Conference as well -- "Sabbath A Delight". 

Isaiah 58:13-14

13 ¶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:
 14 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.

Our stake president wanted us to write down a few things. What we learned, what the Spirit teaches us, and what we can change or continue to follow what was taught.

Ideas to Make the Sabbath a Delight

• Make simple meals: We always make sack lunches to eat right after church since our drive home is 30+ minutes (pb&j sandwiches with fruit). And dinner doesn't need to be a complicated, long recipe. Usually grilled cheese and tomato soup does well. 
• Take time to talk about what we each learned at church and discuss those things together. Talk as a family. Hold a family council.
• We don't need a Do's and Don't List for keeping the Sabbath Day holy and a delight. We need to focus on the outcomes of what we do on that day. Do the things that Jesus would do, like serving others and reaching out to someone besides yourself. 

What might make the Sabbath to NOT be a delight?

What should I change if it is not a delight? My family ideas: Less electronics, only games that include family members (not 1 player games like on devices), more family participation, simpler meals.

Reverence on the Sabbath

The root for reverence is love. Love for the Savior and our Heavenly Father. Reverence should begin in the home. As we come to church, we should be reverent during the prelude music and take that time to focus on Jesus and where we are so that we may be open to His Spirit and be taught during church. In order to do that, we should come early enough that we don't feel rushed to get there. By doing this, we are giving our time to the Lord and showing Him reverence.

Sacrament: What It Means To Us

Singing and praying help to prepare us for the Sacrament. It doesn't matter if you started off your Sunday in a bad mood. Once you have repented and taken the sacrament bread and water, you are then able to go forward with a better outlook and can decide to have a better day and week.

Even if you work on Sundays, you can still keep the Sabbath Day holy. Study while at work, Keep it in your mind and heart.

Ezekiel 20:12,20 Our Day

Going to church and partaking of the Sacrament is MY sign to MY God on MY day. What can I do today to show my love for my Savior and my God? I can repent any day of the week. The Sacrament opens access to the Atonement when we partake of this ordinance.

3 Nephi 18:10 Witnesses

Why do I have to participate in an ordinance to repent to be forgiven? It is a witness to God that I'm willing to do what He has commanded. In essence, you are telling Him you know you aren't perfect, but that you want to be. Sacrament renews ALL of our ordinances that we've taken, not just the baptismal one. We can demonstrate our love to Him as we come to church and partake of the Sacrament to access the Atonement and stand as a witness that we want to be righteous!