"Tithing: Opening the Windows of Heaven" Talk Outline

Last updated on December 1st, 2023 at 03:00 pm

General Conference Applied

“Tithing: Opening the Windows of Heaven” by Elder Neil L. Andersen; October 2023 General Conference

Corresponding General Conference Applied episode show notes: S2 E9

Talk Outline

Invitations

“All that we have and all that we are comes from God. As disciples of Christ, we willingly share with those around us.”

Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)

“With all the Lord gives to us, He has asked us to return to Him and His kingdom on earth 10 percent of our increase.”

Promises

Action: “Trust in the Lord’s timing;”
Promise: “the blessings always come.”
Action: “He has promised us that as we are honest in our tithes,”
Promise: “He will ‘open … the windows of heaven, and pour … out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ He has promised us that He will protect us from evil.”
Action: “I promise you that as you trust in the Lord,”
Promise: “the blessings of heaven will follow.”
Action: “I will always remember his promise that as they paid an honest tithe,”
Promise: “their desire for more material possessions would diminish… Those who followed the counsel of Elder Eyring were blessed.”
Action: “‘My mother taught me that if we always pay our tithing,”
Promise: “we will want for nothing. And President Andersen, we want for nothing.'”

Doctrines

Commandments: “Commandments are the laws and requirements that God gives to mankind. When we keep the commandments, we manifest our love for the Lord and receive blessings from Him (see Leviticus 26:3–12; John 14:15; Mosiah 2:41). We are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to have Christlike love for others (see Matthew 22:36–39; John 13:34–35).”

Principles

Tithes and Offerings: “We have been given commandments to help us prepare in every way to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father. He has given us a way to thank Him for our blessings. Willingly paying tithes and offerings is one way we thank Him. As we pay these offerings, we show that we love Him and will obey His counsel… When we pay tithing we show our faithfulness to the Lord. We also teach our children the value of this law. They will want to follow our example and pay tithing on any money they receive.”

Christlike Attributes

Obedience:
- “Obedience is our choice. The Savior made this clear. As stated in the Joseph Smith Translation of Luke 14:28, Jesus directed, ‘Wherefore, settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach, and command you.’ It is that simple. … As we do so, our spiritual stability will be greatly enhanced. We will avoid squandering God-given resources and making unproductive and destructive detours in our lives” (Dale G. Renlund, “Constructing Spiritual Stability” [Brigham Young University devotional, Sept. 16, 2014], 2, speeches.byu.edu).
- “I am worthy to have a temple recommend. (Doctrine and Covenants 97:8)”
- “I strive to live in accordance with the laws and principles of the gospel. (Doctrine and Covenants 41:5)”

Most Important Quote

“The world speaks of tithing in terms of our money, but the sacred law of tithing is principally a matter of our faith. Being honest in our tithes is one way we show our willingness to put the Lord first in our lives, above our own cares and interest. I promise you that as you trust in the Lord, the blessings of heaven will follow.”

Powerful Stories

“While I was in South America recently, Brother Roger Parra from Venezuela shared the following experience with me:

“‘In 2019 Venezuela was shaken by problems that caused a power blackout for five days.

“‘Chaos and anarchy reigned in the streets, and many desperate people did not have sufficient food.

“‘Some began looting food businesses, destroying everything in their path.

“‘As the owner of a small bakery, I was very worried about our business. As a family, we decided to give away all the food in our bakery to people in need.

“‘Through one very dark night riots were everywhere. My only concern was for the safety of my beloved wife and children.

“‘At dawn I went to our bakery. Sadly, every nearby food business had been destroyed by looters, but to my great astonishment, our bakery was intact. Nothing had been destroyed. I humbly thanked my Heavenly Father.

“‘Arriving home, I told my family of God’s blessing and protection.

“‘They were all so grateful.

“‘My oldest son, Rogelio, only 12 years old, said, ‘Papa! I know why our store was protected. You and Mama always pay your tithes.’

“Brother Parra concluded: ‘The words of Malachi came into my mind. ‘I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground’ [Malachi 3:11]. We knelt down and gratefully thanked our Heavenly Father for His miracle.'”
“President Gordon B. Hinckley recounted this childhood experience: ‘When I was a boy I raised a question with my father … concerning the expenditure of Church funds. He reminded me that mine is the God-given obligation to pay my tithes and offerings. When I do so, [my father said,] that which I give is no longer mine. It belongs to the Lord to whom I consecrate it.’ His father added: ‘What the authorities of the Church do with it need not concern [you, Gordon]. They are answerable to the Lord, who will require an accounting at their hands.'”
“The blessings of tithing come in many ways. In 1998 I accompanied then-Elder Henry B. Eyring to a large Church meeting in the Utah area now known as Silicon Slopes, a community of great innovation in technology. It was a time of growing prosperity, and Elder Eyring cautioned the Saints about comparing what they had with others and wanting more. I will always remember his promise that as they paid an honest tithe, their desire for more material possessions would diminish. Within two years, the technology bubble burst. Many lost their jobs, and companies struggled during this time of financial adjustment. Those who followed the counsel of Elder Eyring were blessed.”
“I met 12-year-old Charlotte Hlimi near Carcassonne, France, in 1990 while serving as a mission president. The Hlimis were a faithful family living in an apartment with eight children. They had a picture of the Savior and of the prophet on the wall. In the interview for her patriarchal blessing, I asked Charlotte if she paid an honest tithe. She responded, ‘Yes, President Andersen. My mother has taught me that there are temporal blessings and spiritual blessings that come from paying our tithing. My mother taught me that if we always pay our tithing, we will want for nothing. And President Andersen, we want for nothing.’

“In giving me permission to share her story, Charlotte, now 45 and sealed in the temple, commented: ‘My testimony of tithing was very real at the time, and it is even stronger now. I am deeply grateful for this commandment. As I live it I continue to be abundantly blessed.'”
“One day each of us will finish our earthly journey. Twenty-five years ago, just days before my mother-in-law, Martha Williams, died of cancer, she received a small check in the mail. She immediately asked my wife, Kathy, for her checkbook to pay her tithing. As her mother was so weakened that she could scarcely write, Kathy asked if she could write the check for her. Her mother responded, ‘No, Kathy. I want to do it myself.’ And then she quietly added, ‘I want to be right before the Lord.’ One of the final things Kathy did for her mother was to hand her tithing envelope to her bishop.”

The Best Footnote

Footnote 8: “See 1 Corinthians 2:14. The logic of man does not always align with the wisdom of God. In Malachi’s day, many had become distant from the Lord. The Lord implored His covenant people, ‘Return unto me, and I will return unto you.’ What follows this tender invitation is a deeply important question for each of us: ‘But ye said, Wherein shall we return?’ (Malachi 3:7). Or in other words, ‘What am I to change? How do I draw closer to Thee?’ The Lord answers by teaching the importance of tithing, not simply as a financial law but a tangible way to turn the desires of our hearts to Him. We observed this in our own family. Kathy’s mother joined the Church at age 22. Martha and Bernard Williams attended church for a brief period, but after a move to another state, they became less active. Bernard received a military deployment overseas, and Martha moved home to Tampa, Florida, where she accepted the generous invitation to live with her aunt and uncle, who were opposed to the Church. While living in very humble circumstances, expecting her first child and not attending church, Martha Williams made the decision to start sending her tithing check to the bishop. Later in her life, when asked why, she said that she remembered something the missionaries had taught her about tithing and God’s blessings: ‘We desperately needed God’s blessings in our lives, and so I began sending our tithing check to the bishop.’ Martha and Bernard Williams returned to the Church. Their greatest blessing—six generations have been blessed because of her decision to pay her tithing when she had nothing but faith in God and hope in His promises.”

Footnote 23: “President Dallin H. Oaks shared this story about trusting in the Lord: ‘My widowed mother supported her three young children on a [meager] salary. … I asked my mother why she paid so much of her salary as tithing. I have never forgotten her explanation: ‘Dallin, there might be some people who can get along without paying tithing, but we can’t. The Lord has chosen to take your father and leave me to raise you children. I cannot do that without the blessings of the Lord, and I obtain those blessings by paying an honest tithing”” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Tithing,” Ensign, May 1994, 35).

Questions for Reflection Asked by the Speaker

None.

“Tithing: Opening the Windows of Heaven” Talk Outline