There can be no greater joy than to know we are pleasing God and that our life is in harmony with His teachings. This is a state of righteousness. The peace and prosperity found in righteousness have a price. To be righteous we must sacrifice. We learn from the Lectures on Faith the following:
Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life; and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth’s sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not, nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life. (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985], 6:7)
As a bishop and as a stake president, I have experienced the joy that is a validation of the process of receiving the Lord’s blessings in one’s life through righteousness. We must never look upon the prosperity of material things as a validation of righteousness. For all things there is a law of the harvest and a principle involved in any success. The blessings of the Lord transcend all material things (see D&C 84:38). When we are obedient and become more righteous, we prosper in the Lord. We have peace of mind knowing we are following His commandments (see D&C 19:23). The peace and prosperity promised of God is surely the quest of our souls. He has offered it to us through His Beloved Son. It can be ours through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel and enduring to the end. (Ed J. Pinegar)