Strengthened through the Sabbath

Area Leadership Message

Elder Adonay S. Obando, Spain
Elder Adonay S. Obando, Spain Area Seventy

As we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we wish to learn about Him and follow His example, hoping to develop in ourselves His character and attributes. We believe that once we have developed faith in Him and in His atoning sacrifice, some natural consequences will follow: we will wish to change our lives through repentance, our will and heart will turn to the Lord and we will accept making covenants with Him through ordinances.  

The Lord has revealed that those who “…truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.”[1]

After baptism, we are confirmed members of the Church by means of the laying on of hands by the power and authority of the priesthood. The next step in our spiritual development will be to receive other salvation ordinances in the holy temple. Under normal circumstances, the ordinances of baptism, confirmation, endowment and sealing can only be performed once for oneself. Later, we may continue learning from these ordinances as we perform them by proxy on behalf of deceased persons.

The Lord provided a way so that we, His children, may partake continually and individually of one ordinance, the Sacrament.

The pattern established by the Savior is that His Church must meet on the Sabbath to partake of the Sacrament “…in remembrance of the Lord Jesus”[2] and “to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.” [3]

In His infinite wisdom, He has given us the opportunity to pause from our daily hustle, enable us to stop all worries and cares.  As we leave the world behind, we are able to renew the baptismal covenant through the Sacramental ordinance. The Lord promises in this ordinance that as they partake of the Sacrament, those willing to take upon them His name and keep His commandments, “may always have his Spirit to be with them.”[4]

As individuals and families, we would all profit much if every week we prepared with diligence and humility to partake of the Sacrament. We prepare daily for this ordinance seeking to live “…in righteousness on all days and at all times.[5]” For example, by studying the scriptures, praying privately and with our families. Additionally, if we plan Saturday activities so that we may go to bed early enough to wake up on Sunday with gratitude, cheerfulness and happiness, then we will be prepared to partake of the sacrament and listen to the talks, being “…nourished by the good word of God.” [6] Then, we will be able to grow and deepen our relationship with the Savior and increase our knowledge of Him.

At this point, it’s important to highlight the parallelism between the holiness of the temple and the holiness of the Sabbath. When we prepare to visit the temple, we start with sufficient time for our preparation. We not only dress with clothing showing respect and reverence for the temple and what it represents, but while inside or in its surroundings, we behave likewise. We whisper and we teach our children that in this place we keep the utmost respect. As we sanctify the Sabbath by being reverent and respectful during Sunday meetings and all the time that day, we develop the holiness and divine nature that we find in Our Heavenly Father, “…and he rested on the seventh day from all his work…And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.”[7]

If we try the virtue of the word of God we will not only abound in the knowledge of Christ, but our testimony of its truth will not be founded on faith alone, it will be founded on the miracles and wonders which we will experience in our lives and families.



[1] D&C 20:37

2 Moroni 6:6

3 Moroni 6: 5

4 D&C 20:77, John 14:16

5 D&C 59:11

6 Moroni 6:4

7 Genesis 2:2-3