Yours Mine and Ours

Soap Box Sunday

I am so grateful we have the opportunity to attend church each Sunday. It really does give me the spiritual pick me up I am so desperately in need of each week. It is also so fulfilling to watch my Husband continue to grow in the church. Yesterday Michael blessed the Sacrament for the first time. I could tell he was a little nervous but he did a great job! He was very deliberate and clear in giving the blessing. I am so proud of the righteous priesthood holder he has become. He also received his first calling yesterday!!! He is a member of our Christmas Planning committee!! He will be sustained next week!

This week I want to share my testimony on the law of tithing. This has been something I have struggled with in the past because I always feel so poor!! I use to pay my tithing and then expect something in return. When I didn’t get anything I felt discouraged.

One day I was listening to David Ramey (who is Baptist by the way) on the subject of tithing, he said “The tithe, which is a scriptural mandate, was not instituted for God's benefit because He already has all the money He needs. He does not need our money. Tithing was created for our benefit. It is to teach us how to keep God first in our lives and how to be unselfish people. Unselfish people make better husbands, wives, friends, relatives, employees, and employers. God is trying to teach us how to prosper over time.”

It was then that I decided I would pay my tithing without expectation. I couldn’t afford it, I literally had no room in my already tight budget but I decided that I was going to put God first and that I was going to be faithful. When I did this every month I seemed to get by, checks magically appeared in the mail!! Seriously! I got refunded on things I hadn’t expected or received money back on purchases.

Lately, we have really struggled financially, when I look at our income and outgoing expenses I get very stressed out because we are always in the negative. We continue to pay our tithing faithfully and we seem to get by and we continue to receive financial blessings such as renting out our STL house or being refunded on accounts that were over paid 3 years ago!!

I testify that the law of tithing is a gift from our Heavenly Father and will help us learn to become more Christ like if we will pay it faithfully and without expectation we will be blessed.