Deciding not to talk poorly about anyone behind their back means you will be blessed with more love and kindness.
Deciding to focus on your love for the Savior during the Sabbath day means you will be blessed with a stronger relationship with Jesus.
I love it when blessings look a lot like natural consequences of our choices.
God has set up a beautiful system where some commandments lead to specific blessings.
The very end of section 89 has some of the most beautiful and real blessings I’ve seen in all of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Read through these four verses and let me know which phrase stands out to you the most:
“And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
“And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
“And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
“And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.” (D&C 89:18-21)
Aren’t those beautiful blessings and promises?!
Powerful, specific protections are promised us as we “keep and do these sayings” in section 89.
One thing I’ve discovered is that when I am choosing foods that are really nourishing for my body, I feel more alert in my mind.
That wisdom, that knowledge, it comes much more easily.
I also recognize that following the direction in section 89 doesn’t mean you’ll be immune from health problems your entire life.
But that doesn’t negate the real, tangible blessings that come from obeying the Word of Wisdom.
I want to keep the Word of Wisdom even better than I am now.
Not because I love keeping lots of rules.
But because I have a testimony that there are promised blessings waiting in store for me when I obey the laws on which those blessings are predicated.
What blessings have you seen in your life from obeying the counsel found in section 89? What promise stood out to you from reading section 89?
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
4 Responses
I believe exercise is part of keeping the word of wisdom. My leg was weak and hurting a lot when I began playing tennis 2 years ago. I had some tests done and nothing was wrong. I began stretching and exercising both legs with the help of a physical therapist and am now able to play tennis and pickleball, my favorite type of exercise, 3-4 days a week. All my leg pain is gone as they are getting so strong. It is such a blessing in my life! Also in the past 2 years I have intentionally increased the amount of fruits and vegetables in my diet by a lot and decreased the amount of meat and fat I consume. I feel so healthy most of the time and it has improved my eye sight so much that I don’t even need glasses anymore for distance. So many blessings!
Thank you for your inspired messages. Fun fact-I am Scott Wood’s cousin, and his wife Susan your aunt, is one of my favorite relatives:)
I love that you’ve seen blessings come from keeping the word of wisdom! And so fun about our connection to Susan! 🙂 Thanks for sharing and supporting me!
I am 79 years old as of next month, and have adhered to the Word of Wisdom with a big focus on fruits and vegetables in verse 10 of section 89, while in moderation I have eaten treats, sweets, and processed foods more than I should, always going back to the norm of God’s gifts of fresh foods. And I have felt great blessings of health and other deeper understanding which is not commonly known by many. I have never needed any prescription drugs, and people say I look younger than my age. I feel a humility about that because I do not want to set myself up as any better than anyone else, as I sincerely try to focus on everyone being better than me either now or in the future. In any case, I feel that I have been blessed immensly as a result of trying to live the spirit of the Word of Wisdom as it stands, along with others of the commandments. Though I haven’t been consistent in exercise, and am physically not very fit except in keeping my weight down naturally, I can still run and not be weary (but still am quickly out of breath), and with no problem walking a few miles without feeling in the least faint, and can live with energy with 7 hours of sleep, and can to this day still withstand hot days in Arizona while working in the sun without undue exhaustion at night. And, as I study the scriptures I often come up with understanding that is enlightening having made numerous Notebooks, and Annotations in Gospel Library since 2018.
Thank you for sharing! I love that you have seen and felt the blessings of keeping the Word of Wisdom in your life!