Why the Lord Blesses the Righteous People with Wealth

"29 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.

30 And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need." (Alma 1:29-30)

I know that God blesses His righteous people. Sometimes it seems like blessing the people with riches or worldly blessings might be counter intuitive. He wants them to be humble, and being humble when you have worldly things is harder.

But ultimately, these two verses describe why He does it. God's people often prosper financially because of what they will do with their blessings. They don't keep it all for themselves. They look for ways to help others. In this case, they supported the needy.

I have seen wealth be used in this way today. It can help the needy. I have seen families supported this way many times. Seeing the poor circumstances and situations that people have been in, where some help from the bishop and ward make all the difference between a family going hungry versus having something to eat. Or paying the rent versus getting evicted. I have seen many situations where this was the case.

I've also seen wealth used in other righteous ways. It can allow people to serve a mission (or help support others on their mission). I've seen it allow families to spend more time together, and do things together. I've seen the peace that it brings, not even to be wealthy, but to be financially stable.

It is worth mentioning that just being righteous doesn't always bring about prosperous times. In fact, I've seen very righteous people who struggle, who lose their employment, who can't find a job, who can't make ends meet. Sometimes, you are on the receiving end of the help described above. It doesn't make you any less righteous or less worthy. That comes because of your choices.

I believe the Lord wants His people to be a prosperous people. The Church is a wealthy Church. It stays within its means, but it builds temples, churches, and many other things that help God's people worship Him.

God loves His people and wants them to be happy. I know that He has blessed me personally, and I hope that I can do my best to be righteous, and to use my temporal blessings in a way that is pleasing to Him.