Stanford Family Home Evening: Family Home Evening Lesson fro Malachi

Read or Summarize Malachi 3:8-12

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 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.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

Discuss

What is tithing?

D&C 119:4 simply states that all members “shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, … saith the Lord.”

What is tithing used for?

In Elder David A. Bednar’s talk “The Windows of Heaven” (Ensign October 2013), he said, “These sacred funds are used in a rapidly growing church to spiritually bless individuals and families by constructing and maintaining temples and houses of worship, supporting missionary work, translating and publishing scriptures, fostering family history research, funding schools and religious education, and accomplishing many other Church purposes as directed by the Lord’s ordained servants.”

Share Your Testimony

Share your testimonies with each other of the blessings of tithing. Elder Bednar discussed how his mother recognized that by giving the Lord 10% of their income, they didn’t spend as much money on medical bills. Elder Bednar bore his testimony of tithing by saying, “I testify spiritual and temporal blessings come into our lives as we live the law of tithing. I bear witness that such blessings often are significant but subtle.”

Activity

Look at the following incomes below. Have children identify how much money in each group should be given to tithing. If you give your children an allowance, help them figure out how much money they should give to tithing.