Tithing
Tithing
– Tithe – A
10th part of one’s income contributed voluntarily for charity or due
as a tax for the support of the church.
Income – Money or its
equivalent received in the return from work, from a business, or as profit from
investments.
Interest – A claim of
legal share in something. Return on invested capital.
Surplus – An amount or
quantity beyond what is needed or used; excess. Properties – Something
owned, especially real estate. The exclusive right to own something; ownership.
The character, trait, quality or attribute. Joseph Smith commands us to tithe
10% of our interest annually, and of our surplus properties. I looked up the
following and nowhere under the definition of invest, surplus or properties did
I find any of the following.
D&C see 119. Do we tithe
from monies from our pre-tax income or our after tax income. What if we take a
loss in our business, our investments, do we factor that against our income or
our annual gain? Do we tithe 10% only after our surplus thus taking into
account our expenses?
What do the
scriptures tell us about tithing?
Malachi 3:8-10 – “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are
robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into
the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of
heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to
store it.
I
believe it is clear here that we are to give; it doesn’t say how much but it
states we are to give.
Let’s
look more – Leviticus 27:30-33 A tithe of everything from
the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 31 Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a
fifth of the value to it. 32 Every tithe of
the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will
be holy to the Lord. 33 No one may pick out the good
from the bad or make any substitution. If anyone does make a substitution, both
the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.
A
tithe of everything from the land, belongs to the Lord. If a man redeems
any of his tithes he must add a fifth value to it. The entire tithe of the herd
and flock every 10th animal will be holy to the Lord.
Redeem – to regain
possession of by paying a specified sum. To pay off. To turn in and receive
something in exchange.
Everything – all factors
or things that exist or are pertinent.
Genesis
14:20 –
Then Abraham gave him a tenth of
everything.
Genesis
28:22
– All that you give me I will give you a
tenth.
Deuteronomy
26:12 –
When you have finished setting aside a
tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe.
Proverbs
3:9-10
Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
2
Corinthians 9:7
– Each man should give what he has
decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion because God
loves a cheerful giver. 1 Corinthians 16:2 – On the first day of the week each of you should set aside a sum of
money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no
collections will have to be made. Alma 13:5 – even our father Abraham paid tithes of one tenth of all he possessed.
What
have we learned about tithing and what has God instituted and what has man
instituted. It is abundantly clear to me that we are called to tithe to bring
about the furtherance of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. It is also
clear to me that we are required to cheerfully set aside for the building of
his kingdom one tenth of that which we possess for the offering of sacrifices
equally from the land or from our flock.
Since
most of us don’t have land, fruit or flocks the Lord requests we offer one
tenth of our annual interest or surplus properties
In
the Old Testament times we were to give one tenth of everything. I do believe
we are to give annually. Looking at all of this and looking up the words I have
concluded that for me and my house that I will cheerfully live as instructed by
God.
I
will give one tenth of my annual interest and one tenth of my annual surplus.
No-where
in the bible does it mention the word wage or income.
Wage – remuneration
for labor or services. A fitting return for a just desert.
Income – money or its
equivalent received in return for work, from a business or as a profit from an
investment.
Giving
one tenth of our annual income and or wage is a man-made command.
In
the old days men tended to their herds (flocks), tilled the soil (farmed),
planted fruit tree’s etc. They also performed labor for hire, they made things.
Isn’t it interesting that God only mentions fruits, foods, flocks, grains, oils
etc?
There
is no mention of one tenth of their wage. He also makes it very clear that we
are to give one tenth of everything.
What
is everything?
Our
homes, our possessions, our monies, our investments – what?
Joseph
Smith told us to give of our surplus, properties and our interest.
Again
no mention of income.
No
mention of pre-tax or after tax, losses due to bad investments. I guess if you
had bad year farming, tending to your vineyards or trees or all your flocks
were destroyed, you would not have one tenth to give.
It
would fluctuate year by year depending on your success.
Is
it practical to give one tenth of everything – I don’t think so.
What
about gains or losses on paper but not realized. In the stock market we make
investments, year in and year out we have unrealized gains and losses. In other
words they are still investments, un-liquidated. These should not be counted
in.
Only
realized gains and losses and then only after taxes which are paid to the
government can we give of our surplus.
We
can’t give what we don’t have, if the government levies a tax on our wages or
income it is therefore not all ours only a portion of it is ours, the balance
is due to our king and ruler, the government.
Tax – a payment
imposed upon a person or group for government support. A place or tax on income
property or goods for the use and benefit of the government or a king. To make
excessive demand on.
Impose – to enact or
apply as compulsory. To obtrude or force. To take unfair advantage.
Compulsory – using or
exerting compulsion; coercive. Mandatory.
Compulsion – the act of
compelling or the state of being compelled.
Compel – to constrain,
force.
Force – to open or
break down by force. Energy or strong power. The use of such power. A group
organized or available for a certain purpose. To move something or somebody
against resistance, push. To inflict or impose one’s will.
Obtrude – to thrust
oneself or one’s ideas on without invitation.
Jesus Christ
tells us to pay Caesar what is Caesar’s
Matthew
22:21 – Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s
and give to God what is God’s.
Paying
taxes to Caesar
Matthew 22:15-22
Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar
15 Then
the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They
sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we
know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in
accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no
attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is
it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
18 But
Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to
trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought
him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And
whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,”
they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what
is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When
they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
We
are required to pay taxes as told to us by Jesus Christ.
Article
of Faith #13 – We believe in being subject to Kings, presidents,
rulers and magistrates in obeying, honoring and sustaining the Law.
The
law of the Lord requires us to pay taxes, we are obligated, and we have no
choice in the matter. Taxes are imposed on us, we are compelled even forced to
pay them under the threat of imprisonment. Therefore the monies we receive
after paying the taxes can be considered our true wage or income. I will pay
tithing on my true wage or income and then only after I factor in my realized
gains or losses from my investments.
Tithe Equation
Gross
Income – Taxes = Net Income
Investments
+ realized gains – realized losses = Net realized gains or losses.
Net
income + Net realized gains or losses = Net gain (interest or surplus) x .10 =
Tithe
Factoring
in business gains or losses. I believe for the purpose of tithing one should
factor in net gains or losses from a business venture if monies have been
received or monies have been paid out as a result of that business venture.
Monies received – taxes = additional income and should be counted in gross
income. Monies spent or invested in the business that depleted one’s investment
thus incurring a gain or loss in that investment or savings should be realized
as a net gain or loss in investments if the money originated there. If we put
money into our business which came from our personal investments and we
experienced a realized gain or loss against those investments that should be
calculated in. There is to be no carry forward of gains or losses in a prior
year on a future year, each year stands on its own. Each year should be viewed
independent of any other year.
Why
do I even look into this because I was confused by the Law of Tithing as it
related to me and my family.
I
know that God and Jesus Christ are the same, yesterday, today and forever –
Hebrews
13:8 –
and God is not a God of confusion. D&C
132:8 – behold my house is a house of
order, saith the Lord God and not a house of confusion. In Nephi 2:4 –
we see the spirit is the same yesterday
today and forever. D&C 20:12 –
Same God, yesterday, today and forever. I did not want to be deceived by the
precepts of men. God has told us to be careful to obey his word and not be
deceived by the unlawfulness of men. Romans 16:17-19 – A warning not to be deceived he said watch
out, men will put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teachings you
have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving the Lord. By
smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve men. Ephesians
5:6 – Let no man deceive you with
empty words. In James 1:22 – we
are told do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself, do what it
says.
When
we are in confusion as to what the word of God is saying to us, he asks us to
pray receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit and he will answer and hear our
prayers.
Moroni
10:4 – we are assured the truth will
be known to us if we ask our Father, with a sincere heart, with real intent,
having faith, he told us he would manifest the truth by the power of the Holy
Spirit unto us. James 1:5 – If
any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without
finding fault and it will be given to him.
I
have struggled for years to know the truth of God’s words where it came to the
Law of Tithing. No man has given me a satisfactory explanation and that is
because I looked to man for an explanation. When I searched the scriptures,
prayed for wisdom not to be deceived by men and to bring to light the truth of
tithing as God had commanded us, I arrived at the equation as I stated earlier.
Thessalonians
5:16
– Be joyful always, pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ.
I
find peace and joy in the conclusion brought forth to me by supplication and
prayer, through the instruction and guidance of the Holy Spirit to my brother
Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father I have heard you and do as thy will. In all
things I must obey the commandments and commands of our Heavenly Father. When I
sin I need to ask him for forgiveness.
My
sins affect my tithe.
In
Malachi 3:8 – we are called not to
rob God of our tithes and offerings.
When
we sin against God we are required to ask forgiveness and forsake that which
has caused us to sin. If we do this and repent of our sins, our sins will be
forgiven.
Unfortunately
there are consequences imposed on us by God and man.
Many
of these consequences will affect our income and our wage, our increase and our
surplus.
Is
this God’s fault? Certainly not!
However
it impacts his kingdom here on earth. A consequence of sin robs God of the
unobstructed furtherance of his will and purpose, which is to bring about
eternal salvation to all mankind.
We
all make mistakes, only Jesus was perfect.
Each
of us must admit the folly of our ways (our sins) (confess) and ask for
forgiveness.
Heavenly
Father has said “Go and sin no more, your sins have been forgiven”.
In summary – I will pay
tithes according to my net realized gain in income and wages from labor,
investments or business ventures. I will impart to the storehouse of the Lord
that which I am requested to submit. I will not be deceived by man into
believing otherwise. I have counseled with spirit and this has what I have been
instructed to do. I have sinned causing a reduction in the Lord’s storehouse
and an obstruction to his purpose and plan however I have been forgiven and
will not carry the guilt of my transgression around my neck like a mill stone.
I will find joy in everything!
As
for me and my house, we choose to serve and be obedient to our Lord and Savior
and not man!
Thank
you Lord for this guidance, insight into the further light and truth of your
instruction. My soul is delighted to finally have come to this realization and
I commit to you today and follow your words and commands. Praise to you Lord
Jesus Christ, I love you Lord. I am your servant and steward of all you
created!
Steward
– one
who manages another’s financial affairs or property. A person responsible for
the household affairs of a large institution, as in an estate.
Storehouse – a building
for the storage of goods, warehouse. An abundant source or supply.
There
is no mention in the bible in reference to stewards or stewardship or
storehouse.
D&C
78:22
– he that is a faithful and wise steward
shall inherit all things. D&C 101:90 – and in his hot displeasure and in his fierce anger, in his time, will
cut off the wicked, unfaithful and unjust stewards and appoint them portions
among the hypocrites and unbelievers. D&C 104:13 – Lord should make every man accountable as
a steward over earthly blessings which I have made and prepared for my
creatures. D&C 104:54-57 – commandment concerning stewardship – Behold
all these properties are mine.
Servant. Are we God’s
servants? No!
John
15:15
– I no longer call you servants, because
a servant does not know his masters business. Instead I have called you
friends, for everything I have learned from my father I have given you. This
is Jesus speaking. We are no longer to be called servants of God but friends of
God.
Matthew
20:26-28
– Whoever wants to be great among you
must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. Just as
the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as
a ransom for many.
Ransom – The release
of a detained person or property in return for payment. The price demanded or
payment made.
I
was trying to make a biblical connection to tithing and stewardship of those
earthly possessions that the Lord has put in our care. One cannot be found.
Later that day.
Matthew 18: For where two or three gather in my
name, there am I with them.
Psalms 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a
table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Usually
the Psalm is read at funerals. God created the world 6 days, the 7th
day he rested.
Commandment
– Keep the Sabbath day holy. Jewish Sabbath – Saturday.
What
is our relationship with the Sabbath?
Do
we keep it?
Yes.
Jesus came to
bring order and peace to our lives.
Do
we celebrate Jubilee – every day we celebrate Jubilee. We live in the Sabbath
rest of God every second of every day. We don’t just celebrate Sabbath, we live
in the rest of the Sabbath. Rest in God, take your time. In verse 5 – You prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies. In the midst of turmoil we are called to rest. We
are asking God to change the circumstances around us, we don’t need God to calm
the storm, and we need to feel peace in our life. Dwell in the peace of God. In
the midst of toil, we are called to have peace, to rest. Don’t ask God to
change your circumstances or the turmoil, ask him to bring you peace. The peace
that God gives you passes all understanding. We never lose the peace of God. We
need to rest with God. Thy rod and thy staff will comfort me – verse 4. We are led through the valley of the
shadow of death. Peace be still! We do not walk alone; stand by the Grace of
God. Cannot have peace without faith. Opposite of peace is lack of faith. The
peace of God has nothing to do with your external circumstances. My peace I
leave with you, my peace I give you. Christ gives us peace. Slow down you
are going to fast you’ve got to make the moment last. Peace – the
absence of hostility. A state of harmony as between persons, concord. Freedom
from disquieting thoughts and feelings, serenity. Serenity – peaceful,
calm. Perfectly clear. Harmony – accord or agreement as of feeling or
opinion.
When
trust is broken is there any way that it can be repaired, as in the trust
between two people.
Trust – firm reliance
in the honesty, dependability, strength or character of someone or something.
One in which faith or confidence is placed. Care, custody. Reliance in
something in the future; hope. To have or place confidence in; rely. Assume or
expect. To be confident, hope. To believe.
How
can we begin to repair a broken trust relationship when we don’t even know what
trust is.
What
does the bible teach us about trust?
Psalms
20:7
– Trust in the name of our Lord and God.
37:3 – Trust in the Lord and do
good. 119:42 – Trust in his
word. Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in
the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. John 14:1 – Trust in God. Psalms 26:10 – The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds a man.
What
we read in the bible is that we are called to trust God, not man.
When
we put our trust in man there is the potential that men will let us down at one
point or another.
Look
once again at trust, trust is: Reliance
– faith – confidence – care –custody – hopes – confidence – rely – assume –
expect – believe in someone or something.
What
happens when our trust for someone or something is shattered, broken or rocked?
How
does that make us feel?
I
don’t like the word make; simply because it implies to have control over it.
Make – to cause to
happen or exist. To bring into being, create or fashion. To compel. To cause to
be or become (make our feelings known).
That
makes us feel insecure, abandoned, uncomfortable, untrustworthy, suspicious,
jealous, nervous, angry, bitter, lonely, terrified, there is a feeling of lack,
our needs are not being met.
Are
any of the qualities listed above attributes from God? I think not!
They
all come from the devil. Satan wants us to experience distrust, when we do; our
focus is off God and on man.
God’s
request is that we trust him, man requests the same thing.
In
God we can trust, even our money says “In God we trust”, in man we can trust
“if” and that is a very big “if”, if they are loving and serving the Lord with
all their heart and soul.
Otherwise
if we put our trust in man we will experience pain and disappointment.
The
way to regain trust is to once again reestablish our connection with our Lord
and Savior. By recommitting ourselves to following in the Lord’s footsteps we
begin to break down the walls built by Satan that surround us and imprison us.
We
must first admit that the trust relationship is fractured then just as a doctor
would we need to wrap the fractured person in the love of Christ.
Trust
is built back gradually just as it takes time for a bone to heal once it has
been fractured, you can’t mend a fractured bone overnight. With proper care,
the relationship like the bone will heal. Unlike the bone, our relationships
have the possibility of becoming stronger after they have been fractured.
After
you admit to one another that the trust in your relationship has been broken,
the two of you must come before the Lord and ask forgiveness for your sins
against the other.
We
must come to him with a broken and contrite spirit and humbly request
forgiveness of our sins.
Then
we must forgive one another of our sins against the other and finally we must forsake
(not repeat) – to give up, forswear. To abandon or desert – those behaviors
which led to the fracture.
We must learn
from our mistakes, we must learn to forgive one another, we must forsake our
behavior and we must forget the past completely.
God
will never forsake us, he will never leave us, he will never let us down. We
must put our trust and faith in him not man. Trust in God leads to joy and
happiness, trust in man may lead to pain, anxiety and despair.
Is every problem in our society able to be
solved using the bible as a reference, a guide and a fix all? The answer is
yes.
For
all who diligently search for answers to those predicaments which bring them
pain and suffering the bible is the end all along with prayer.
Reading
the bible in and by itself does nothing. The bible is not a self-help book, it
is a work manual designed to provide the reader with a ready set action plan
for your defense against evil – Satan.
Knowledge
is said to be linked with power, I would add utilization of knowledge has the
potential of power.
Power
being defined in a positive context. It is something to be blessed with
knowledge; it is another thing all together to put that knowledge into action.
In
order for change to take place in our life we must be willing to put into
action the necessary changes accompanied by wisdom and belief – faith that by
applying the new principles will in effect alter our current state of being for
the positive.
The
bible can do that along with a dictionary. The dictionary helps us decipher the
true meaning of the words, not necessarily the intent of the writer nor the
context. The dictionary gives us further insight into the meaning of words as
established by man. Hopefully they have remained uniform throughout the
centuries and the meaning we associate with a particular word or phrase is the
same as the writer intended to convey thousands of years ago.
That
is all for now, good night Lord.
Law of Moses. I was speaking
with someone regarding the law of tithing asking him for his opinion on the
subject and he made an interesting comment. He asked me if I was living under
the law? I asked what law? He replied the Law of Moses? I indicated I was not.
He indicated that the law of tithing was instituted under Levitical law or the
Law of Moses and as a result of the new covenant we are no longer subjects or
servants to the Law of Moses.
Matthew
5:17
– Do you think that I have come to
abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill
them. Matthew 5:18 – Will by
any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Matthew
7:12 – So in everything do to others
what you would have them do to you for this sums up the law and the prophets.
Matthew 22:40 – All the law and
the prophets hang on these two commandments – love God, love neighbor. John
1:17 – For the law was given through
Moses, grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. Romans 6:4 – For sin shall not be your master, because you
are not under the law, but under Grace. Romans 7:6 – But now by dying to what once bound us we
have been released from the law so that we serve in a new way of the spirit,
and not in the old way of the written code. Romans 8:3 – For what the law was powerless to do in that
it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the
likeness of the sinful man to be a sin offering. Romans 10:4 – Christ is the end of the law so that there
might be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Love
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