I wanna take things to the Book of Mormon real quick.
The Nephites and the Lamanites are promised pretty consistently throughout the book that if they keep the commandments, they will “prosper in the land”.
And it’s easy to look at their trajectories and see that when they turned their hearts toward God, they had safety and blessings and growth.
And when they turned away from the Lord, they had wars and disease and destruction.
This can lead us to what some Christians refer to as the “prosperity gospel”– where we believe that devotion to God results in material/social/health-related blessings.
Now let’s look at Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.
Faced with the penalty of a fiery furnace and certain death for their faith, they boldly declared:
“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image”. (Daniel 3:17-18)
BUT IF NOT.
It would be nice to not have any serious financial troubles in my life as a result of paying my tithing.
But if not, I’ll keep giving anyway.
It would be great to have perfect health as I abstain from harmful substances, just as God asks.
But if not, I’ll keep doing my best anyway.
It would be great to have great friendships, tons of loving family members with no drama, and kind-hearted people to interact with anywhere that I go because I try to be Christlike in my actions.
But if not, I’ll keep trying to be Christlike anyway.
Why?
Because ultimately, I have to learn to love God and my Savior more than I love the blessings.
The blessings aren’t the goal.
Loving God and becoming Christlike are my goals.
No other prospering or destructive results can sway my devotion.
Would I like to receive blessings that I think I want as a result of my discipleship?
Absolutely.
But if not, I’ll keep loving and serving my Savior.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
