Seeking Particular Blessings Connected To Obedience Of Certain Commandmants

[The Nehor]

8 hours ago, Vanguard said:

I don't know how the 'law irrevocably decreed in heaven' pertains to me? I don't believe these types of passages should be interpreted in any way as a charge to figure out the connection between the laws and the supposed blessings that flow from obedience to said law though this effort seems to have taken hold among the laity. The classic law-blessing connection is the payment of tithing (and a close 2nd would be 'calling election made sure'). For scripture to claim that the 'windows of heaven will be opened' as a result of my paying tithing unnecessarily leads me down a path of looking for what I consider to be evidences of said blessings bestowed on me. That's not a good mindset.  But how can the member escape this effort? S/he is told continuously that blessings will flow. It actually makes sense the member would in turn look for said evidence. : (

I would rather think that my obedience hones my perception of my relationship to God and draws my attention to those things in my life that I have always taken for granted (i.e., my breath, my ability to think, my ability to ambulate, etc). I have stated from the pulpit and to my immediate family continually that if I die tomorrow I want to believe I was the luckiest man to live. Perhaps that is the blessing of our obedience and nothing more. 

That is a working interpretation but it just means that God promising to open the windows of heaven means God doesn’t actually do anything. To be able to think, breathe, and move are common and would fall under the rain falling on the just and unjust. So why tie it to tithing?

8 hours ago, Vanguard said:

I think the transactional mindset of obedience-begets-many wonderful blessings is actually worse than the 'vending machine' analogy. It's more like a kid in Willie Wonka's chocolate factory salivating for all the wonderful 'sweets' there are to be had if one can just be obedient. It's also a significant issue brought up among those who do not hold a belief in God as to why we believe in a God in the first place. Is my belief really just predicated on what I think I can get if I vow my allegiance to a supernatural being? Eeek. : (

I agree with you to an extent but the scriptures are filled with these promises and “carrot and the stick” choices. It seems that God and/or those speaking for God don’t have a problem with this.

8 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

Is there room to acknowledge that we have been taught the wrong way “from the pulpit” for many years?

Because it comes from the scriptures. We can renegotiate or amend that understanding but are we really getting closer to the actual meaning of the text by doing so? I am always suspicious of this approach that “now we understand what it REALLY meant”. It is like attempts to read the Trinity back into the New Testament. It is a tortured exercise.

[Kenngo1969]

On 11/18/2025 at 4:49 PM, Vanguard said:

This is where I think I get hung up. Taking this literally, I'm sure it would trigger my neurotic nature of trying to figure out which law I should obey in order to trigger which blessing. Over the last few years I am coming to the conclusion that I'd rather not be interested in trying to figure it out. It's better for me to obey because I believe it serves my 'human engine' better. After all, the laws of the Gospel are simply a recipe for making the 'human engine' run at its peak performance, are they not? What transpires as a result of this obedience I'd rather leave in God's hands. I'd rather my motivation be because I love the Savior and not because I desperately want something from him.

I'm remined of my good friend who had recently converted to the Gospel many years ago. Tithing had been an issue because he had a young family and was struggling quite a bit. He invited my wife and I over one night in part to inform us that he and his wife and decided to pay their tithing as an exercise of faith. He followed this up by announcing that not a day later his landlord had shifted the rental amount by $100! My wife quickly exclaimed something to the effect -'See? You made the sacrifice and are now reaping the blessings!' With a wily eye, my friend quickly retorted that the payment was increased by $100. ; )

Yep.  The real blessings that come from obedience are transformational, not just transactional.  God isn't Santa Claus, so whatever God wants to give us, by orders of magnitude more, He wants us to become something.

[Vanguard]

On 11/25/2025 at 2:58 AM, Kenngo1969 said:

Yep.  The real blessings that come from obedience are transformational, not just transactional.  God isn't Santa Claus, so whatever God wants to give us, by orders of magnitude more, He wants us to become something.

Agreed. And perhaps part of that transformation is a shift in perspective re: what constitutes a 'blessing from heaven'? Sure there are countless folks who enjoy good health and the like but who don't pay any form of tithing. I wonder how many attribute this good health to their God (if they even have such a God)? Recognizing all of our good fortune coming from an all-loving God probably begets the transformation you speak of.

I'm not saying there are no material and/or spiritual benefits to paying my tithing. I however do not want to spend my time trying to figure out what those particular blessings are (hence the transactional nature of such an endeavor). I thank my God for everything I have and will continue to pay tithing regardless.

Edited November 27, 2025 by Vanguard