Brings physical rest- Demonstrates obedience

Sunday was not his favorite day as a young boy, Elder James E. Faust of the Council of the Twelve admitted at the Saturday afternoon session."Grandfather shut down the action," he explained. "We didn't have any transportation. We couldn't drive the car. He wouldn't even let us start the motor. We couldn't ride the horses, or the steers, or the sheep. It was the Sabbath, and by commandment, the animals also needed rest. We walked to Church and everywhere else we wanted to go. I can honestly say that we observed both the spirit and the letter of Sabbath worship."

Perhaps his grandfather's interpretation of Sabbath Day activities seems extreme by today's standards, he said, "but something wonderful has been lost in our lives. To this day, I have been pondering to try to understand fully what has slipped away. Part of it was knowing that I was well on the Lord's side of the line. Another part was the feeling that Satan's influence was farther away. Mostly it was the reinforcement received by the spiritual power which was generated."

He traced the history of Sabbath observance in the Old Testament and added: "Jesus reaffirmed the importance of Sabbath day devotion, but he introduced a new spirit into this part of worship. (Matt. 24:20.) Rather than observe endless technicalities and prohibitions concerning what should and should not be done on the Lord's Day, he affirmed that it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath. (Matt. 12:12.) He taught us that `the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath day' (Matt. 12:8) and introduced the principle that `the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath.' " (Mark 2:27.)

From D&C 59:9-13, Elder Faust quoted a modern-day revelation on Sabbath observance and added: "This great commandment is culminated with a promise: `Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fullness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth.' " (D&C 59:16.)

Citing the words of President Spencer W. Kimball, Elder Faust said keeping the Sabbath day holy is more than just physical rest; it involves spiritual renewal and worship.

He said he has observed that people get more done when they observe the Sabbath than if they had worked on Sundays. He counseled students to arrange their schedules so they do not study on the Sabbath, promising that their minds will be quickened if they do so.

Elder Faust suggested three reasons why God requires that the Sabbath be honored: the physical need for rest and renewing, the need for spiritual regeneration and strengthening, and obedience as an expression of love for God.

"What is worthy or unworthy on the Sabbath will have to be judged by each of us by trying to be honest with the Lord," he counseled. "On the Sabbath day we should do what we have to do and what we ought to do in an attitude of worshipfulness and then limit our other activities."