Tithing—a Blessing, Not a Burden

By Elder Moisés Villanueva

Of the Seventy

God has given us the law of tithing to bless us both temporally and spiritually.

I am a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When I was 10 years old, the missionaries knocked on the door of my home and my mother let them in. She had been baptized more than a decade before but had distanced herself from the Church for many years. The missionaries taught us. My mother returned to activity, and four of my siblings and I were baptized.

In those times, we lived in very difficult economic circumstances. My mother, who was separated from my father, worked to provide for us. Despite working at three different jobs, she barely earned enough to provide for our needs. Nevertheless, as an active member of the Church, my mother was willing to fulfill her baptismal covenants and obey the commandments that God has given us, among which is the law of tithing. So even though it was difficult for her and for all of the family, she paid tithing.

My mother also loved to invite the missionaries over to eat at our home. Sometimes she would invite more than 10 missionaries. And a miracle occurred in our home that is similar to the miracle in the New Testament when the Lord fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes, and there was more than enough to satisfy their hunger. That is what happened with my family when the missionaries ate in our home. When we trusted the Lord, somehow there was enough.

My mother taught me by precept and by example that God has given us the law of tithing to bless us both temporally and spiritually.

The Law of Tithing

I believe in the law of tithing. This law has existed since ancient times and consists of donating 10 percent of our increase to the Church for the purpose of blessing the children of our Heavenly Father. Among other things, tithing helps to:

Fund the construction and maintenance of chapels and temples.
Support the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Facilitate the printing of the scriptures in different languages.
Finance Church-owned schools, as well as religious education through seminary and institute.
Provide for the gathering, digitalization, and maintenance of family history records.

A Blessing, Not a Burden

For me, the law of tithing has been a blessing and not a burden. In Malachi 3:10, the Lord says, “Prove me now herewith … if I will not open you the windows of heaven.” I love this direct invitation. For me, it is as if the Lord is saying to me, personally, “If you don’t believe me, just do it, and you will see.”

What He says next fills me with confidence and hope: “And [I will] pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10). I testify that the Lord always fulfills what He promises.

“Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled?

“I command and men obey not; I revoke and they receive not the blessing.

“Then they say in their hearts: This is not the work of the Lord, for his promises are not fulfilled” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:31–33).

“Why Wasn’t I Blessed?”

Once, at the close of a sacrament service, a sister came up to me and asked me what counsel I could give her. She said she was losing her faith in the law of tithing. She explained that for some time she had been seeking a promotion at work. Even though she had been paying her tithing faithfully and had asked God to bless her with this promotion, she had not received this greatly desired blessing. My counsel for this sister was the same that I share now with you.

I have learned that when the Lord promises us so many blessings that there will not be room enough to receive them, sometimes we think that means we will immediately receive material riches, such as a raise or a promotion at work. However, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that “as we live the law of tithing, we often receive significant but subtle blessings that are not always what we expect and easily can be overlooked.”¹

Recognizing the Blessings

It’s important to mention that these blessings can be identified more easily through the Holy Ghost. Personally, I feel blessed that I had a stable job for many years. I feel blessed because the Lord has allowed me, my wife, and my children to enjoy good health. He has blessed me to learn to manage my time and my resources and to gain additional education. He has helped me learn to manage my temporal resources to make more of what He has given me.

The Holy Ghost has taught me that I should be grateful for all these things. That, for me, is what it means to have the windows of heaven opened and to receive blessings in abundance.

Not Exempt from Trials

Paying tithing does not exempt us from trials, but I have come to realize that the Lord has blessed me with strength and wisdom and has prepared the path so that I can overcome difficult times.

When my oldest son was a baby, I received a call at my office. Someone had broken into my home. My greatest concern was for the welfare of my wife and son. Many of our belongings were taken, including our passports and visas, which we had just processed in order to attend a course abroad. Despite the lost possessions, I felt greatly blessed because my wife and son were not at home when the burglary took place. That was certainly a blessing.

The Lord opened the windows of heaven and placed the right people in our path who were able to help us process once again the documents we needed to attend the course. And despite the inner turmoil a burglary can create, my family and I received the blessing of spiritual reassurance that all would be well.

Sometime later, the business where I was working was gravely affected by a socio-political conflict in my home city. I worried that all that I had built with hard work and sacrifice would be lost. However, again the windows of heaven were opened. With faith, perseverance, and hard work, the business recovered.

“This poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

“For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had.”

Mark 12:43–44

The Widow’s Mite, by James Tissot

With True Intent

In the Church of Jesus Christ, we greatly value the sacred nature of tithes and offerings. The law of tithing tests the rich and the poor alike. The poor might say, “I need this ten percent to survive.” Or the rich might say, “Ten percent is a lot.” But whether we are poor or rich, the Lord asks us to give our offerings with full purpose of heart, with true intent. Regardless of the amount of our offering, it should be a full tithe. Remember the story of the widow’s mite:

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

“And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

“And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

“For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Mark 12:41–44).

I testify that the law of tithing has been a blessing in my life. The Lord truly does open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings in abundance. These blessings don’t always come when we would like, but we need to seek the guidance of the Spirit so that we can recognize what our Heavenly Father is giving us abundantly. I pray that the Lord will bless you that you may recognize in your own life the blessings of the law of tithing.