The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, inadvertently called the Mormon Church by some people, teaches that there is a significant connection between abundance and obedience to the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many examples of this found in the scriptures. One of them is in the Book of Mormon.
And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth (Book of Mormon, Alma 1:29).
The Church of Jesus Christ teaches that obedience to the commandments brings blessings according to will of the Lord, who wants His obedient children to partake all the goodness of the earth and also even giving them the greatest gift of all, which is eternal life. The Lord said,
There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 130:20-21).
The story of Job is one of the perfect examples of abundance through Jesus Christ. Job is considered one of the richest men in his area, as recorded in the Old Testament. He had everything that a man would want to have, nevertheless he was not obsessed with his possessions. Job was a righteous man, and he loved the Lord. But later in his life, Job experienced trials that tested all of his good qualities, including patience, kindness, love, faith, humility, understanding and obedience to God’s commandments. The trials became so intense that he lost everything he possessed, including his wealth, health, and worst of all, his family. Despite all that had happened to him, he still wanted to obey God. He said,
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me? Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment (Old Testament, Job 19:25-29).
Perhaps the greatest lesson that all of us can get out of the story of Job is that what matters most is our obedience to commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything depends on God; the rise and fall of an individual or a family or a nation depends on their obedience to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days” (Old Testament, Job 42:12-17).
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all are treated alike. The Church also reaches out to the world, especially during calamities in giving relief to those who have been affected, regardless of nationality, race, or religion. The greatest good is manifest, however, not in humanitarian aid, but in how the gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives for the better. It is a testimony of what the fullness of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ can do for someone’s life. Of course, God wants us all to be happy, well, and abundant in all things, not only temporally but everlastingly.
All people are commanded to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and follow His commandments.
Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy (Book of Mormon, Mosiah 4:9,19-20).
This article was written by Roy, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
References:
1) Book of Mormon, Alma 1:29
2) Doctrine and Covenants, Section 130:20-21
3) Old Testament, Job 19:25-29
4) Old Testament, Job 42:12-17
5) Book of Mormon, Mosiah 4:9,19-20
Additional Resources: