One of my favorite verses of scripture is in Malachi from the Old Testament. Perhaps it is a funny verse to have as a favorite because it is about tithing, but it is also about promises.
"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."
God keeps His promises. He doesn't ask that we only believe Him, He invites us to PROVE that He will keep His promises.
Since we are already in the vein of tithing, I'll pull an example from there. God has commanded that we give 10% of our increase back to the church. This might seem like a difficult doctrine, but God has promised that if I will obey, He will pour out blessings upon me.
With faith, my husband and I committed to always pay a full tithe. As a married couple, we did not have a testimony of tithing yet. We did not know that God would keep His promises. We had faith and we acted on the commandment.
At first, it didn't seem like our obedience was paying off. Kevin was attending the University of Utah and after being married for only six months, I was laid off from my job. We lived on our savings and did odd jobs to get by. After a few months, I was able to find employment again and it greatly decreased the stress on our finances.
Within days of getting hired though, our car broke down! A few weeks after that, Kevin had some minor medical problems that resulted in some major medical bills! We were starting to wonder when the "windows of heaven" were going to open.
As we paid off all of our surprise bills, I was relieved to find that we would be able to cover all of them. My new job was sufficient to meet our regular needs and our unexpected ones. With startling clarity, I realized that the timing of the car and Kevin's medical bills aligned with my new employment - and that these troubles had been withheld until we had the finances to accommodate them. Truly, God had kept Kevin and the car healthy until we could pay for their repair. Some might claim that as coincidence, but the Holy Ghost confirmed to us that is was Divine Intervention.
Yet, that was only a "trickle" of the blessings that would be poured out! A few months later (while we were still paying our tithing), I opened our mailbox to find a check for $4,000 from the University of Utah! I teased Kevin and asked if he had secretly sold one of his kidneys. :) Upon further discovery, Kevin had qualified for a scholarship earlier that year, but it had been delayed. It was enough to cover his tuition for the whole next year!
Still, God had more to pour! Those "odd jobs" that I did during my unemployment included being a temporary clinical instructor at Dental Hygiene Program at Salt Lake Community College. I had actually called them and asked if I could volunteer (since I had a bunch of extra time). They were happy to have an extra hygienist on hand and I was called in at least weekly. After a few months of doing this, my supervisor called me into her office and informed me that she had been made aware of a policy that affected me. For privacy reasons, they couldn't have volunteers in the clinic - only employees... so she was HIRING me!
I was first employed only in the clinic, but a few months later, she offered to let me teach two lecture courses as an adjunct instructor! This was truly a miracle because I had applied to teach at SLCC a year earlier and had been told that my application wouldn't even be considered until I had five years of experience. Upon getting to know me and my love for teaching, the doors of opportunity opened and so did the "windows of heaven"! Teaching at SLCC became one of the most satisfying things I ever did in my career and because I only taught a few days a week, I was able to work even after our baby was born and Kevin graduated from college DEBT FREE!
God keeps His promises. We now have a testimony that God will bless us when we pay our tithing. We know because we acted in faith. The most powerful thing about this pattern is that it works with ANY commandment. In the New Testament, Christ makes the same promise:
Since we are already in the vein of tithing, I'll pull an example from there. God has commanded that we give 10% of our increase back to the church. This might seem like a difficult doctrine, but God has promised that if I will obey, He will pour out blessings upon me.
With faith, my husband and I committed to always pay a full tithe. As a married couple, we did not have a testimony of tithing yet. We did not know that God would keep His promises. We had faith and we acted on the commandment.
At first, it didn't seem like our obedience was paying off. Kevin was attending the University of Utah and after being married for only six months, I was laid off from my job. We lived on our savings and did odd jobs to get by. After a few months, I was able to find employment again and it greatly decreased the stress on our finances.
Within days of getting hired though, our car broke down! A few weeks after that, Kevin had some minor medical problems that resulted in some major medical bills! We were starting to wonder when the "windows of heaven" were going to open.
As we paid off all of our surprise bills, I was relieved to find that we would be able to cover all of them. My new job was sufficient to meet our regular needs and our unexpected ones. With startling clarity, I realized that the timing of the car and Kevin's medical bills aligned with my new employment - and that these troubles had been withheld until we had the finances to accommodate them. Truly, God had kept Kevin and the car healthy until we could pay for their repair. Some might claim that as coincidence, but the Holy Ghost confirmed to us that is was Divine Intervention.
Yet, that was only a "trickle" of the blessings that would be poured out! A few months later (while we were still paying our tithing), I opened our mailbox to find a check for $4,000 from the University of Utah! I teased Kevin and asked if he had secretly sold one of his kidneys. :) Upon further discovery, Kevin had qualified for a scholarship earlier that year, but it had been delayed. It was enough to cover his tuition for the whole next year!
Still, God had more to pour! Those "odd jobs" that I did during my unemployment included being a temporary clinical instructor at Dental Hygiene Program at Salt Lake Community College. I had actually called them and asked if I could volunteer (since I had a bunch of extra time). They were happy to have an extra hygienist on hand and I was called in at least weekly. After a few months of doing this, my supervisor called me into her office and informed me that she had been made aware of a policy that affected me. For privacy reasons, they couldn't have volunteers in the clinic - only employees... so she was HIRING me!
I was first employed only in the clinic, but a few months later, she offered to let me teach two lecture courses as an adjunct instructor! This was truly a miracle because I had applied to teach at SLCC a year earlier and had been told that my application wouldn't even be considered until I had five years of experience. Upon getting to know me and my love for teaching, the doors of opportunity opened and so did the "windows of heaven"! Teaching at SLCC became one of the most satisfying things I ever did in my career and because I only taught a few days a week, I was able to work even after our baby was born and Kevin graduated from college DEBT FREE!
God keeps His promises. We now have a testimony that God will bless us when we pay our tithing. We know because we acted in faith. The most powerful thing about this pattern is that it works with ANY commandment. In the New Testament, Christ makes the same promise:
"If any man will do his will,
he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."
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