Tithing Blessings

[MorningStar]

I would love to hear about any blessings you received through paying tithing. We have always managed somehow and I found our blessings came pouring in especially when we were having a baby. For instance, I started to feel like I needed a king size bed because of how uncomfortable I was (I am a major tosser/turner) and someone called out of the blue and said they had a friend who was giving away a king size mattress. It was rather new, still under warantee, and when it became a little frayed on the edges, the company sent her a new one and didn't want the old one back. That was such a great blessing!

Then another time, we had a car repair that was $540, we had no credit card, and then right afterwards we got a check from the IRS saying they owed us money. Guess how much it was for?

Then with our second son, my husband was laid-off and within 20 minutes, my sister who had no idea called to ask if he wanted a position at her company. He was offered the job the next day at higher pay, better benefits, truck allowance, gas reimbursement, etc. For the first time, we weren't living paycheck to paycheck. We still couldn't afford a house, but the stress in our life was so much lower. I know there are things we have to learn from living in this apartment and I've been OK with that.

I'm sure we have received so many blessings we're not even aware of. What about you?

[MormonMama]

During a really rough patch we were about to have our cars repossessed but we still made sure to pay our tithing, and even though we hadn't told anyone (we were too embarrassed) a ward member called out of the blue one day and just GAVE us their old car! It still serves us well (and we have since been able to buy a second car with cash, so we now have two cars and no payments).

[the_jason]

I think we all receive blessings every day from paying tithing. We sometimes overlook the simple things in search of grand miracles. Having a roof over your head and food on the table is a blessing. That's a miracle in my mind, yet some can't see the forest through the trees. They think that if they didn't get a mysterious check in the mail or find a $100 bill on the street then they haven't been blessed. That's simply not true. Blessings and miracles happen every day.

That being said, I'll share a story that I'll remember the rest of my life. It was about 2-3 years ago. We had written a rather large tithing check and for some reason it did not clear the bank. My wife researched it for months trying to find out why. We went to tithing settlement at the end of the year and when we got our donation statement, there was this line showing that check had been received. Puzzled, we went home afterwards and researched it again. My wife looked through the checkbook register, which she had looked at a hundred times before, and noticed that she had deducted this check twice. This was the equivalent of getting a large check in the mail, which couldn't have come at a better time as it was almost Christmas. What a miracle! I'll always remember that experience as a further testimony of tithing.

[WillowTheWhisp]

One experience I vividly remember because it also showed how in tune our Bishop was. My late husband and I were struggling for money at the time and we seemed to just get one large expense on top of another. We had our tithing cheque written out when the car broke down and we just didn't have any money left to get it fixed. A mechanic friend of ours looked at it and got it on the road again for us for the Sunday morning so we could get to church but he told us the things that it would need to keep it road worthy and get it through its MOT test (that is a legal requirement to keep a car on the road) - the cost was just a little less than the amount of the tithing cheque. We had the tempting option of not paying the tithing that week and getting the car fixed.

A friend tried to justify that we would be better getting the car fixed by reminding us of all the good things we did for the church with that car and how it would be depriving the Lord if we didn't get it fixed. We used to take people to church and take other people's kids to Youth etc (we didn't have any children of our own then. My husband was WML and he used to ferry missionaries to and from their new locations. However we prayed about it and we felt it was a test of our faith in paying our tithing so the cheque went into my husband's briefcase that Sunday morning and was handed over to a member of the Bishopric the minute we set foot through the door - just to make sure we avoided further temptation.

As we were walking past him to make our way into the chapel the Bishop leant over the balcony and called to us to go up to his office. He handed us an envelope saying that he had no idea why but when he was praying that morning he felt a strong urging to give that to us. When we looked inside the envelope there was a cheque for the exact amount we needed to get the car fixed.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Some friends of ours also had a lovely experience. They had given away all their baby things as they thought their family was complete. They hadn't had a baby for seven years. Then suddenly she fell pregnant again but they had no nursery furniture and would have struggled to pay for it. Again well meaning people suggested they hold off paying tithing and use the money to buy a cot and other things for the baby. They chose to pay their tithing.

A few weeks before the baby was born they were still thinking that they'd be using an empty drawer as a baby bed.

Then an elderly couple who were planning to marry bought a new house. They bought the show house on a new estate which was sold fully furnished. One of the rooms had been furnished as a child's nursery and they naturally had no need of those things so our friends received gifts of all the furniture they would need for their baby's room.

[the_jason]

Then suddenly she fell pregnant

How does one fall pregnant? Did she trip and fall on top of it? Sorry, I just thought it sounded funny, like it happened to her beyond her own control. lol

[WillowTheWhisp]

It's a quaint old fashioned English phrase. It took her by surprise because she thought she'd got past being able to.

[the_jason]

lol ok. It just sounds funny to a Yank like myself.

[MorningStar]

I think we all receive blessings every day from paying tithing. We sometimes overlook the simple things in search of grand miracles. Having a roof over your head and food on the table is a blessing. That's a miracle in my mind, yet some can't see the forest through the trees. They think that if they didn't get a mysterious check in the mail or find a $100 bill on the street then they haven't been blessed. That's simply not true. Blessings and miracles happen every day.

That being said, I'll share a story that I'll remember the rest of my life. It was about 2-3 years ago. We had written a rather large tithing check and for some reason it did not clear the bank. My wife researched it for months trying to find out why. We went to tithing settlement at the end of the year and when we got our donation statement, there was this line showing that check had been received. Puzzled, we went home afterwards and researched it again. My wife looked through the checkbook register, which she had looked at a hundred times before, and noticed that she had deducted this check twice. This was the equivalent of getting a large check in the mail, which couldn't have come at a better time as it was almost Christmas. What a miracle! I'll always remember that experience as a further testimony of tithing.

I agree. I think once in a while we are sent experiences though to strengthen our testimony of tithing. :) My brother-in-law was going to start bouncing checks if he paid his tithing, but he did it anyway and he ended up getting a bunch of backpay his company suddenly decided to give him.

[MorningStar]

This was the most bizarre story I have ever heard, told by my seminary teacher. She said when she and her husband were newlyweds, they needed a washer and dryer. They were looking through the classifieds and saw used ones for sale. The husband went to the house to see about buying them and when he came home, he looked white as a ghost. His wife asked, "What happened?" He told her that when he walked into the house, there was no washer and dryer, but a war vet who said to him, "I will pay you $500 to listen to everything I have to say." The guy was an alcoholic and kept drinking/vomiting right in front of him while he told him the story of his life. Even worse, he was stabbing a knife into the table the whole time and it scared the crud out of him. Hours later, the guy gave him the $500 and then they had money for a washer and dryer. Then they went to look at new ones and the model they wanted was too expensive, so they got the cheaper one. They were out, so they upgraded them for free. The vomiting alcoholic isn't exactly the way I would like to be blessed, but they got what they needed.

[NeuroTypical]

2 stories:

A guy in my ward gave this story. He was trying to support his family on the salary of a private in the military. Hard to do. But they paid their tithing. One month, they looked at their bank account, and it pretty much equalled the amount of tithing they needed to pay. So they took stock of the food in the house, and figured out if they only ate one meal a day, they could pay tithing and live to the end of the month.

After they paid the tithing, their neighbor called and said "I'm getting deployed - I need to get rid of a bunch of food or it'll spoil. Can I give it to you?" Six or seven trips back and forth between the houses later, their house was full of food. There wasn't enough room in the refrigerator and cabinets. They had grocery bags full of cans lined up in the hallway.

The scripture says Bring ye all the tithes ... 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.

Story 2: I got laid off back in the '90's. I then proceeded to discover I had figured our tithing wrong, and we owed several hundred dollars. We wrote out the check out of our precious shrinking savings. The very next day, I got a check in the mail from my old employer for about the same amount. They had mis-reported the amount of severence pay, and this made up the balance.

I'm a fan of tithing.

LM

[Still_Small_Voice]

I know someone who made a commitment to give $1,000 extra in offerings over their tithing. They kept giving more to fast offerings, humanitarian fund and other monies to the church which eventually totalled $1,000.

A few years later, some stock they had bought for $3,000 increased in value to about $9,000.

[MormonMama]

The vomiting alcoholic isn't exactly the way I would like to be blessed, but they got what they needed.

And her husband did a good turn for someone else, someone who just wanted to be heard.

[Mountaingirl]

Never paid tithing myself... I am still very blessed.

[the_jason]

Nobody said you can't be blessed if you don't pay tithing. You'll be blessed more if you do.

[WANDERER]

I'd like to hear of how tithing has blessed others (other than the tithee).

[Mountaingirl]

Nobody said you can't be blessed if you don't pay tithing. You'll be blessed more if you do.

I disagree. Thats all.

[MormonMama]

Not wanting to create an argument here, I'm just genuinely curious:

If you believe blessings come from God, how can you not believe you will be blessed even more by giving something back to Him?

And if you don't believe blessings come from God (or don't believe in God), can you really call them blessings?

[WANDERER]

Mormon Mama I'm not sure if you're directing your question to me or not. I think people are blessed for tithing. I think you can be blessed whether you believe in God or not or tithe or not or are deserving or not.

A direct answer : Yes I believe in God. You could ask that question of a lot of different faiths and still get a 'yes' answer. I'm not sure that answering that question generates less confusion.

Can you call them blessings...I think the word may have a slightly different meaning depending on whether you believe in God or not. The word has multiple meanings in the dictionary: as in bringing good fortune.

[Mountaingirl]

Not wanting to create an argument here, I'm just genuinely curious:

If you believe blessings come from God, how can you not believe you will be blessed even more by giving something back to Him?

And if you don't believe blessings come from God (or don't believe in God), can you really call them blessings?

I don't believe that I have to give money to the Mormon church to be giving back to God. You can give back to God in many ways, by donating your time to worthy causes, by volunteering to help someone who needs it. Giving back to God doesn't really have to mean with money.

[Alaskagain]

Mountaingirl, Hi!:)

Respectfully, many many people pay tithing, not to the "Mormon" church. They pay tithing to whatever church they attend.

If you are not a member of any organized church, and if you believe in the words written in Malachi 3:10 about tithing, and if you are giving the first 10% of your time, or donating the first 10% of your income to what you deem a worthy cause, and dedicating that gift to God as your tithing, then I would have no right to say that it is not considered "paying your tithing". My opinion only --- it is the process of taking your firstfruits and dedicating them to the Lord, and the giving of those things is what would constitute "tithing".

Otherwise, it is known as "compassionate service", or helping your fellow man. And of course, there is nothing wrong with doing that! It is a Good Thing To Do. I also believe the giver of "compassionate service" receives blessings as much as the recipient does.

[miztrniceguy]

i pd my tithing on sunday, and monday morning i won $98 on the radio. not quite enough to cover this paydays tithing, but a good chunk

[Mountaingirl]

Mountaingirl, Hi!:)

Respectfully, many many people pay tithing, not to the "Mormon" church. They pay tithing to whatever church they attend.

If you are not a member of any organized church, and if you believe in the words written in Malachi 3:10 about tithing, and if you are giving the first 10% of your time, or donating the first 10% of your income to what you deem a worthy cause, and dedicating that gift to God as your tithing, then I would have no right to say that it is not considered "paying your tithing". My opinion only --- it is the process of taking your firstfruits and dedicating them to the Lord, and the giving of those things is what would constitute "tithing".

Otherwise, it is known as "compassionate service", or helping your fellow man. And of course, there is nothing wrong with doing that! It is a Good Thing To Do. I also believe the giver of "compassionate service" receives blessings as much as the recipient does.

Good to meet you Alaskangirl,

I can understand where you are coming from, and I respect that. It just bothers me when any religion tells you how much you HAVE to give in order to receive blessings. For instance, if you don't pay your 10% in the Mormon Church you don't get a temple recommend. No temple recommend, no temple blessings and risk of losing any temple blessings. It's my opinion only, but I feel that this is wrong.

Tithing should be something that people want to give, and do so out of the kindness of their own hearts and souls... not out of fear of losing their blessings. I also find that many people that don't have a lot of money could use that money for food and other things they might need. God would want these people to take care of their families, right? At least I think so.

I am not putting the Mormon Church down, I just disagree with the way tithing is done. The church has billions of dollars to spend on a shopping mall in Salt Lake City, and still asks 10% of a young family's paycheck... it bugs me. I hold no hard feelings for the church or the people who believe in it. I was there once.

[MormonMama]

Mormon Mama I'm not sure if you're directing your question to me or not.

It was mostly aimed at Mountaingirl, but was open to anyone else who wanted to answer.

I don't believe that I have to give money to the Mormon church to be giving back to God.

I didn't say it had to be the LDS church. I just said tithing. I like Alaskagain's explanation. The Bible says that those who don't pay tithing are robbing God. It doesn't specify that it only counts for certain churches. This is why the LDS church does not allow those who are not full tithe payers to enter the temple, because they are violating one of God's laws as put forth in the Bible. It's not the Church that tells them they have to pay 10%, GOD does! And yes, you can still be blessed in many ways even if you never tithe a penny. I see it every day in the lives of many people I know. But blessings are predicated on obedience to God, and He will bless us even more if we do more.

It should also be noted that the LDS church helps tithe payers who cannot meet their expenses. When my husband's income dropped we literally did not have enough to pay our bills and our tithing. We still paid our tithing and the church took care of our bills, groceries, etc. No one in the church goes hungry because they paid their tithing.

But thank you for your answer. :) I appreciate it.

[Alaskagain]

Hi back, Mountaingirl!

I have not ever been forced to pay tithing. It has always been my choice. If anybody ever tried to force me to pay tithing, man, I would probably be kicking and screaming all the way.

I don't pay my tithing because I'm afraid I will lose blessings if I don't. I pay my tithing because I am grateful for everything I already have been given, and because I want to do something to show that I love my Heavenly Father.

However, if I choose not to pay my tithing, I do not expect to be able to receive the further blessings of temple worship, as my attendance in that holy place is based upon my obedience of the commandments that I acknowledge as my Father's instructions. It is always my choice to obey or not.

I am hardly rich, by any means. I have been outright poor. There have been times when I did not have enough money to make it through to the next paycheck, but if I paid my tithing, I would make it. If I didn't pay my tithing, I would have absolutely nothing left halfway through the week, just like my on-paper calculations projected.

Tithing is not a financial matter, it is a matter of faith. I dont think it makes any difference whether the tithing is coming from a young family, an elderly couple, a young single person, or an 8 year old child. It takes faith to pay it.

I don't know if the money from the SLC shopping mall came out of tithing funds. If so, that's okay. If not, that's ok too. I don't care who made the decision to spend church assets that way, no matter the source. I only know I am happy that I made my decision to pay my tithing.

I hope you will give the matter more consideration, so that it will longer bug you. I hope you will have peace in your mind over the matter.