SERMON: The Lords Tenth

“Honour the Lord with thy Substance”

Proverbs 3:9

 

For members of the Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ the payment of tithing is a sacred obligation to the Lord, the giver of all blessings. Latter Day Mormons must remember that paying tithing does not represent giving gifts to the Lord and the Church. Paying tithing is discharging a debt to the Lord. The Lord is the source of all our blessings and so we have an obligation to pay our tithing.

Latter Day Mormons know that it is important to teach our families that the Lords tenth is sacred, In our family councils we can teach our children how to manage their money and pay an honest tithe. We can help our children learn how to figure out the proper tithing for allowances or earnings. It is important that members of the church  study with our families the scriptures that tell us about ancient tithes as the first fruits such as the one found in Proverbs 3:9 and the firstlings of the flock found in Genesis 4:4. These inspire us to give the Lord the top tenth of our income. If we are wise, we will show by our example that paying tithing in season, when income is received, is easier and gives us a greater wisdom in managing the remaining nine-tenth us a greater wisdom in managing the remaining nine-tenths.

Honest tithe payers have discovered that the Lord literally opens the windows of heaven and pours out more blessings, spiritual and temporal, than they can receive. The greater our sacrifice the greater the blessings seem to be. Latter Day Mormons know that prosperity comes to those who observe the law of tithing. We are not talking about prosperity in terms of pounds and pence alone, although as rule Latter Day Mormons who are the best tithe payers can be prosperous financially. However what church counts as real prosperity is the growth in a knowledge of God, and in a testimony, and in power to live the gospel and inspire our families to do the same, this is prosperity of the truest kind.

Members of the Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ know that obeying the law of tithing helps us overcome selfishness, help's build the kingdom, and help's us perfect ourselves. It is important to remember that a tithe payer becomes in a very real sense a partner, albeit a humble one, with the Lord in a tremendous, eternal programme laid out for the salvation of human kind. To those who tithe with the Lord the principles of truth become clearer of comprehension, the living of them easier of accomplishment. Doubt retreats, faith advances certainty and courage up lift our souls. The eternal voice of our father is heard more clearly and we become more like our father in heaven and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.