Tithing Talk – Luke 18: 18-25
And a certain ruler asked him (Jesus) saying, “Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
And Jesus said unto him, “Why callest thou me good? None is good, save one, that is God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and they mother.”
And he (the ruler) said, “All these things have I kept from my youth up.”
This man is a GOOD man! He has been very obedient to Jewish laws!
Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.”
And when he (the ruler) heard this, he was very sorrowful; for he was very rich.
And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” For it is easier for a camel to go through a needles’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
And they that heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
And Jesus said, “The things which are impossible with men ARE POSSIBLE with God.”
Then Peter said, “Lo, we have left all and followed thee.”
And Jesus said unto them, “Verily I say into you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, who shall not RECEIVE MANIFOLD more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting!”
As I contemplated on the topic of tithing this week, this scriptural account kept coming to my mind. I felt very inspired to share it with you. When Peter said that ‘we have LEFT all,’ it means the same as, ‘we have GIVEN all.’ We have to remember that Peter and John had a very profitable business. When asked to do so, they gave all of that up and followed Christ. Paying tithing is not easy. Satan is always tugging at us – getting us to rationalize, tempting us with other things of this world that we might want more, etc. It is so important when we pay our tithing, that we have the heart to NOT LOOK back. When we pay our tithing, we need to pay it with a heart looking FORWARD!! The ruler in this scriptural story was given the same opportunity as Peter and John. Christ was asking him to be a ruler in his kingdom – a disciple – but he turned away. I wonder if he lost all instead of gaining all.
We are covenant keepers and we have been asked to pay 10% but as we pay our tithing, it is important that we do it with a heart willing to sacrifice all, if necessary. We never know when we might be asked, as the ruler was, to do so.
We should not let anything stand in our way of following Jesus Christ! As we do this…WE SHALL RECEIVE MANIFOLD MORE in this present time and in the world to come – life everlasting. What blessing could be more important?!
This week my mind was filled with many thoughts about the temporal and spiritual blessings that come from observing the law of tithing. As I thought about them, I found it more and more difficult to separate the temporal from the spiritual. I also could not separate the very strong connection between paying our tithing and the temple. Paying our tithing is one of the sacrifices we make that QUALIFIES us to ENTER the temple. It is also by which all the temples in the world are built and maintained.
In 3 Nephi 24: 10-12 it says… Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
I can bear you my personal witness that this is a true promise. My life has been blessed in so many ways as I have paid my tithing. One of these blessings has been being able to attend the temple! By bringing our tithes to the storehouse, we are able to enter the temple. It is there that the windows of heaven are opened to us and we are able to receive a pouring out of blessings….and sometimes….these is not room enough in our hearts to receive it all!
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the fields, saith the Lord of Hosts.
It is not just the act of paying tithing that is required. It is the humbling of ourselves and our willingness to give all to the Lord. As we do, all of our needs – both temporal and spiritual — will be met. Satan will not have power over us. He will not destroy us or our children! This is one of the greatest promises of protection, I think, in the scriptures. My own personal take on this, is perhaps this promise also relates to us and our children growing up focusing on spiritual things instead of the worldly things around us. We will be protected from being distracted and tempted to pursue worldly temptations before we are wise enough to make better decisions.
The blessings promised to the faithful are far greater than the temporary pleasures of the world. I submit to you that these are not just individual blessings….these can also be societal blessings.
“And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of Hosts.”
In chapter 19 of the teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith, he tells a story that I feel is very relevant to this:
“A member of the Church once said that he could not quite understand when he paid his tithing and kept the Word of Wisdom, was prayerful, and tried to be obedient to all the commandments the Lord had given him, and yet he had to struggle to make a living; while his neighbor violated the Sabbath day, I suppose he smoked and drank; he had what the world would call a good time, he paid no attention to the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and yet he prospered. You know, we have a great many members of the Church that ponder that over in their hearts and wonder why. Why this man seems to be blessed with all the good things of the earth.”
“The answer is a simple thing. If I sometimes go to a football game or some other place of amusement, invariably I will be surrounded by men and women who are puffing on cigarettes or cigars or dirty pipes. It gets very annoying, and I get a little disturbed. I will turn to Sister Smith, and I will say something to her, and she will say, ‘Well, now, you know what you have taught me. You are in their world. This is their world.’ And that sort of brings me back to my senses. Yes, we are in their world, but we do not have to be of it. So, as this is their world we are living in, they prosper, but my good brethren and sisters, their world is coming to its end…the day will come when we will not have this world. It will be changed. We will get a better world because when Christ comes, he will cleanse the earth. Life never was intended to be easy, but the Lord has promised that he will cause all trials and difficulties to result in our good. He will give us strength and ability to overcome the world and to stand firm in the faith despite all opposition. We shall have peace in our hearts despite the tumults and troubles of the world. And above all, it is a promise that when this life is over, we shall qualify for eternal peace in the presence of Him whose face we have sought, whose laws we have kept, and whom we have chosen to serve.”
As we as a church follow the law of tithing and seek to keep the commandments of God, we will be prosperous. Do you realize that it is because we pay our tithing that the temples have dotted the earth? And that more Saints have been able to receive the saving ordinances necessary for the kingdom of God? Do you suppose that this brings more light to the world? Latter-day Saints are as a city set on a hill that cannot be hid, and like the candle that gives light to all who are in the house, it is our duty to let our light shine as an example in righteousness, not only to the people among whom we live, but to the people of the whole earth! Isn’t this a way that more blessings will be poured down on our heads? I say ABSOLUTELY!!!