Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–19
Keeping the Sabbath holy brings temporal and spiritual blessings.
From
Come, Follow Me :
After promising to bless the Saints in Zion "with commandments not a few," the Lord gave special emphasis to one commandment in particular: the command to honor His "holy day" (Doctrine and Covenants 59:4, 9). As you study Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–19, ponder why honoring the Sabbath would have been so important to these Saints as they sought to build Zion.
President Russell M. Nelson invited us to make the Sabbath a delight by spending time doing family history: "Searching for and finding family members who have preceded you on earth—those who did not have an opportunity to accept the gospel while here—can bring immense joy."
The Sabbath Is a Delight
Along with finding names for temple proxy ordinances and planning our temple trips, here are some activity ideas from
Five-Minute Family History Activity Ideas for Latter-day Saints found in The Family History Guide. See also the Latter-day Saint sections for
families,
individuals,
youth, and
kids.
See also
Family History on the Sabbath, and any of the Come, Follow Me Companion activities that work well for the Sabbath found in
2019,
2020, or
2021.
Find Ancestors Who Need Proxy Ordinances
Find step-by-step instructions to do the work in the Faiths menu,
Church of Jesus Christ section of The Family History Guide. See also
Latter-day Saint Youth: Take Ancestors To The Temple, and check out
The Temple - In-Home Activities on FamilySearch.
Discover Ancestors' Stories
Check out this list of
10 Ways to Find Ancestor's Stories and the options below.
Discover ancestor stories on the
FamilySearch Fan Chart along with family lines, birth country, sources, photos, research helps, and ordinances. You can print a chart with any of this information. Make a fan chart "place mat" or frame and hang a chart on the wall for fun! Play Fan Chart Bingo (see
Week #9, 2020), or toss dice onto the chart and share a fact or story about the person they landed on. If you don't know much about that relative or ancestor, this is a great time to use the ideas here to discover more about him or her!
Find ancestor stories by clicking the
Memories tab on the FamilySearch Person page for each ancestor. Check out the following sites for more options:
Women of Faith,
Military Records of Your Family's War Veterans,
My Pioneer Ancestors,
Missionaries, and more on the
FamilySearch Discovery page.
The
All The Stories site is a free way to synchronize with FamilySearch all the stories of your direct ancestors and their siblings, up to 9 generations back. It is a searchable list of any story anyone has placed on your part of the tree, along with how you are related to that ancestor, and how long the story takes to tell.
(Click to enlarge)
With the
FamilySearch Memories Audio app or the Record My Story feature on
FamilySearch Discovery, gathering, recording, sharing, and preserving has never been easier. Read more
here.
Interview Living Family Members
Ask questions and preserve the answers!
When you're ready to begin the interview, call far away grandparents to ask them family history questions. You can take a photo of what you write and then upload it to FamilySearch
Memories. Another option is to have someone else record the conversation and then preserve it. See also
10 Questions Everyone Should Ask Their Grandparents.
The BYU Family History Tech Lab
Do research or play a family history game from the BYU Family History Tech Lab:
Doctrine and Covenants 59:18–21
From
Come, Follow Me :
What can we do to "confess ... [God's] hand in all things"? (verse 21). How have we seen God's hand in our lives?
God's Hand in Our Lives
President Henry B. Eyring: "When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day...so that my children could have the memory someday when they would need it ... Before I would write, I would ponder this question: 'Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?' ...I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done. More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened."
O Remember, Remember
Consider keeping a journal of God's hand in your life and in the lives of your family. Write about your gratitude for the tender mercies you have experienced and that you see around you. You can also record journal entries using the
FamilySearch Memories Audio app or the "Record My Story" feature on
FamilySearch Discovery.
"Embrace your sacred memories. Believe them. Write them down. Share them with your family. Trust that they come to you from your Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. Let them bring patience to your doubts and understanding to your difficulties. I promise you that as you willingly acknowledge and carefully treasure the spiritually defining events in your life, more and more will come to you. Heavenly Father knows you and loves you!" Elder Neil L. Andersen,
Spiritually Defining Memories (See also:
Week #36, 2020.)
God's Hand in the Lives of Our Ancestors
See "Discover Ancestors' Stories" above to find stories from those who have gone on before. Talk about these stories and their influence in your lives today. What do you resolve to do to show your gratitude? Writing these goals down will help you to accomplish them!
Fulfillment of Promises in Your Life
Note: President Nelson encouraged us to do the following for six months, but it may be a wonderful opportunity to carry this invitation through your study of the Doctrine and Covenants this year:
"As you study your scriptures during the next six months, I encourage you to make a list of all that the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel. I think you will be astounded! Ponder these promises. Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life." (President Russell M. Nelson,
Let God Prevail, October 2020 General Conference)
Suggestion: Find the promises in
Doctrine and Covenants 58–59. Write or
audio-record about their influence in your life, and share with your family.
