One of the beauties of the gospel is its clarity. Through the scriptures and living prophets, the Lord has made it clear how we are to live our lives in order to obtain exaltation.

His commandments don't change. And yet, some view as a flexible commandment the injunction to keep the Sabbath day holy. The thinking seems to be that it's OK to bend, if not break, this commandment while on vacation or because of any number of so-called special occasions. Modern-day prophets have expressed their concern with this illogical approach.

"Strange as it may seem, some Latter-day Saints, faithful in all other respects, justify themselves in missing their church meetings on occasion for recreational purposes, feeling that the best fishing will be missed if one is not on the stream on opening day or that the vacation will not be long enough if one does not set off on Sunday or that one will miss a movie he wanted to see if he does not go on the Sabbath. And in their breach of the Sabbath they often take their families with them," stated President Spencer W. Kimball. (Ensign, January 1978.)

Several years ago, President Gordon B. Hinckley stated much the same thing while addressing a regional conference. One of his concerns, he said, was "our tendency to take on the ways of the world. We don't adopt them immediately, but we slowly take them on, unfortunately. I wish I had the power to convert this whole Church to the observance of the Sabbath. I know our people would be more richly blessed of the Lord if they would walk in faithfulness in the observance of the Sabbath." (Heber City/Springville, Utah, regional conference, priesthood leadership meeting, May 13, 1995.)

Failing to commit to keep the Sabbath day holy is fraught with peril. Once an exception is made, it becomes easier to add other exceptions. Some reach the point where they not only break the Sabbath but justify themselves in not attending Sunday meetings. They fail to realize they have a responsibility to make the Sabbath day holy for themselves and their families.

President Kimball told of an acquaintance who claimed he could get more out of a good book on Sunday than he could get by attending church sermons. He said the sermons were not up to his standards.

But, as President Kimball noted, "We do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility, and regardless of what is said from the pulpit, if one wishes to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, he may do so by attending his meetings, partaking of the sacrament, and contemplating the beauties of the gospel. If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you; you must do your own waiting upon the Lord." (Ensign, January 1978.)

We need to follow the counsel of the prophet Joshua: "Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: . . . choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14-15.)

The Sabbath involves much more than refraining from inappropriate activities. The Lord's prophets have provided ample instruction on how to keep the Sabbath day holy. They include such things as reading the scriptures, conference reports and Church publications; studying the lives and teachings of the prophets; writing in journals; praying and meditating; writing or visiting relatives and friends; listening to uplifting music; family gospel instruction; family councils; genealogical research; fellowshipping neighbors and those of other faiths; and setting aside time for wholesome family activities.

The Sabbath should be a day of joy, a day in which one's spirit is lifted, in which the feeling of being a child of God touches the soul. And it will be for those who keep the Sabbath day holy.