Heavenly Father knows we need time to think about him. That is why we have been commanded to set aside one day a week to rest from work and worship him. This is called the Lord's Day—or the Sabbath. It is a day to contemplate the glories of the gospel and the eternal realms, and prepare to return to the presence of Heavenly Father. It is a day to analyze our weaknesses and confess our sins to Jesus.
Not only should we not work on the Sabbath, we should not require our families, our animals, or our servants to work. We should not buy and sell things. It takes faith to observe the Sabbath when it means passing up opportunities to make lucrative sales or earn time-and-a-half. In some cases, working on the Sabbath is unavoidable; when this is the case, try to think about Heavenly Father and Jesus while working.
Do not simply lounge about on the Sabbath. Do not fish, hunt, or attend sporting events; neither should you read any books, watch any television programs, or listen to any music that might distract you from thinking about Heavenly Father and Jesus. Instead, attend Church meetings, sing hymns, pray, read the scriptures, perform good deeds, visit the sick, and proselytize. Jesus has promised that if we cheerfully keep the Sabbath, we will be full of joy.
Most people give no thought to breaking the Sabbath. In the US, the Sabbath has become the nation's play-day. But the law of the Sabbath is very dear to Heavenly Father, and he uses it as a test to see if we will do all that he commands of us. Much of the sorrow and distress that we suffer comes from violating the Sabbath. Jesus says that he will protect the US and its government so long as the country worships him, but if Americans forget him, that promise is no longer binding.
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