Tithing
Before I say anything else, I want to say that I know that tithing is a true principle. It is a commandment that was practiced in the Old Testament (Cf. Genesis 14:20). The word means “one tenth.” The prophet Malachi asked the rhetorical question, “Will a man rob God?” (Malachi 3:8). Think about that for a moment. God has given us everything we have. He asks us to give Him back a tenth of what He has given us. This tenth is used for the building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine 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 (Malachi 3:10).
I like how Malachi uses the word “prove.” It means to test or try. God is testing us to see if we will do all things that He has commanded us. We came to earth to learn to walk by faith and not by sight.
I personally know that when we pay our tithes, God really does pour out a blessing so great that there is not enough room to receive it. I have seen it happen in my own life.
Remember that paying tithing is not as much a matter of money as it is a matter of faith. Trust in the Lord. He gave the commandment for our benefit, and He made the accompanying promise. Seek strength in the faith of Nephi, who said, “Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth” (1 Nephi 4:1). (True to the Faith. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Salt Lake City. 2004. 82.)
Tithing is sacred. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pay tithing privately. Tithing is placed in an envelope and given to a member of the Bishopric or Branch Presidency. It is then transmitted to the headquarters of the Church. Here,
a council determines specific ways to use the sacred funds. This council is comprised of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Bishopric. Acting according to revelation, they make decisions as they are directed by the Lord. (See D&C 120:1.)
Tithing funds are always used for the Lord’s purposes—to build and maintain temples and meetinghouses, to sustain missionary work, and to carry on the work of the Church throughout the world. (Ibid, 81)