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A: I want to thank you very much for writing. I very much appreciate the question you are raising. I think it is a very good question, and not subject to a simple answer.
In the final analysis, God blesses us because of who He is, not because of who we are. If God blessed us only when we were right, where would be the grace? Jesus tells us to "Love our enemies" (Matt. 5:44), and goes on to explain that God Himself "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matt. 5: 45). In fact, God's greatest blessing to us came when we were at our worst, "When we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son" (Rom. 5:10). All this because "God's kindness leads [us] toward repentance" (Rom. 2:5). I would invite you to read through the gospels and look at the people Jesus blessed there, the sick, the lame, the dead, the demon-possessed. It is clear that He was not endorsing their theology, or their righteousness. He was displaying His own holiness by doing good to them. Indeed, Jesus says He healed a blind man "so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" (John 9:3). So it is with us. None of us merit the blessings of God. They are simply a demonstration of His great love for us.
I, too, experienced the Lord's blessing while an RLDS member, over a period of 19 years. I may have felt much the same way then as you do now. But the greatest blessing He gave me during that time, was deliverance from Joseph Smith. That may well be the same blessing you are beginning to experience. But you may not experience the full extent of that blessing in a day or two. For most people, it is a growing, evolving experience that takes some time to develop. My wife, Leslie, and I both feel that the depth and power and beauty of our personal relationship with Jesus far and away transcends anything we experienced in the RLDS church. We could have never conceived of such a relationship while we were RLDS members. Now that's a blessing! Please know that you will be in our prayers. May God continue to richly bless you, Paul Trask |