Blessings, Rewards and Consequences

A few days from now, I'm going to lead a discussion on how Obedience Brings Blessings. A few days after that, I'm going to lead another discussion on another topic related to the Commandments. And after that, the October 2016 General Conference will be right around the corner, if it isn't already. I think I need to focus my thoughts, and my blog posts, on the topics of Obedience, the Commandments, and the last few General Conference talks from April 2016.

Let's start with Obedience. How does obedience bring blessings? I can think of two ways: Rewards and Consequences.

When we keep God's commandments, He often rewards us with blessings. For example, many people who demonstrated enough faith to pay their tithing were rewarded with the ability to still manage to make ends meet, either by getting their money to stretch farther than they thought it would or by receiving extra income from a source they didn't expect. Those blessings came as a result of keeping that commandment, but it wasn't what I would call a natural result.

Some blessings come as a natural consequence for keeping the commandments. For example, if we live the Word of Wisdom by abstaining from drugs and alcohol, we will be healthier than those who don't. That is great blessing, but not a miraculous one. As miraculous as the human body is, achieving good health by adhering to sound health advice is not the result of divine intervention. God doesn't miraculously grant good health to those who live the Word of Wisdom. He doesn't have to. The Word of Wisdom alludes to a set of natural laws which, if followed, will result in natural and desirable consequences, even without God's involvement.

Just as there are natural laws that effect natural consequences, I believe that there are spiritual laws that effect spiritual consequences. Certain things, like spending time in quiet reflection, are good for the soul. The peace that comes from maintaining a clear conscience and the joy that comes from serving others are, I believe, natural results of adherence to spiritual laws.

However, I don't think that natural consequences are the only blessings that come from keeping the commandments. Some blessings, I suspect, come only by the influence of God. After all, what's the point of having infinite power if you never use it? I think that God does take an active role in blessing those who please Him, even if He doesn't have to.

Some blessings come as a natural result of our behavior, and some blessings come directly by the hand of God. While distinguishing between the types of blessings we receive may not be important (since we should thank God for all our blessings, whether they're miraculous or not), I think it may be important to bear in mind that there is a difference.

Some blessings, we can count on, just as we can count on buoyancy to keep our ships afloat. Those blessings come as consequences of natural laws that I doubt that even God Himself could break. Other blessings are granted by God's choice, meaning that He could choose to withhold them, if being denied those blessings would be to our eternal benefit. Of course, if God has promised blessings, He will keep His promises, but some blessings are His to grant or withhold as He will, and we should not demand to receive those blessings, even if we feel that we've earned them.

So, some blessings come naturally while others are granted as special rewards. All of them are desirable and are acquired only by those who keep the commandments. Thus, while there is some distinction between types of blessings and how and why they are obtained, all of them come though obedience, making obedience the most important factor in whether or not we receive blessings. Sometimes, obedience is the only factor, and sometimes it isn't, but it is always a vital factor, so if you want to receive any blessing of any kind, you would do well to be obedient to the commandments of God.