As we faithfully pay tithing, it becomes not only a habit but a meaningful ritual of service to the Lord.
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Tithing often brings to mind the miracle stories: A poverty-stricken family pays their tithing and is miraculously blessed. Some are suddenly given just the amount of money they need to survive. Or they simply find a way to handle their expenses.
While these stories are faith-inducing and worth discussing, we should also remember that tithing is a commandment, and the reason we follow it should be to show God our love.
President Henry B. Eyring says in the June 2011 Liahona that paying a full tithe “prepares us to feel what we need to feel to receive the gift of eternal life.”
I’ve realized this truth when I remember that it’s okay that I don’t have a miracle story. I often feel like tithing is the only commandment I follow well. Somehow because I’m good at it, it feels less meaningful than for someone who isn’t good at it but who pays it anyway.
But the Lord recognizes our individual efforts and blesses us individually, not comparatively. President Eyring says those blessings, sometimes spiritual, sometimes temporal, “are given in the Lord’s time and according to what He knows is best for us.”
It’s normal to want the blessings the Lord promises. It’s also easy to focus on the monetary value more than on the symbolism behind the act of filling out a slip or check. But the Lord values all of it—no matter how hard or easy it is for us—because it’s our offering of love and faith to him.
Read President Henry B. Eyring’s complete First Presidency Message, “The Blessings of Tithing.”
Source: Liahona
—Tatiana Hernandez, Mormon Insights
feature image by katie paque
Find more insights
Read Steven C. Harper’s article “The Tithing of My People” to find out more about the history of the commandment.
Read or watch Elder David A. Bednar’s October 2013 general conference address on the blessings of tithing, “The Windows of Heaven.”
Read Amber Dalton’s Mormon Insights article “Where Does My Tithing Go?” to learn about how the Church uses tithing funds.
This article is a great reminder of the joys of paying tithing. I appreciate that the author emphasizes that the lord values our tithe no matter what blessings we are hoping to receive from it.
Thanks for your comment Shantel! The Lord does indeed value our tithe and financial sacrifice no matter what!
I really love this article. I think that tithing is such an incredible way to remember the Lord in all things, and I know that it really does open the window to heaven’s blessings.
Thanks so much for your comment Anna, we really appreciate the engagement with our article. Isaiah’s words about the windows of heaven opening as we pay tithing are indeed beautiful!