Amen!

“Judging” seems to be the favorite word these days. Stop accusing people of that for sharing what God has showed them. I want to hear! Thanks everyone for your insights on this! I was searching for answers for my elderly recently widowed mother. I know the answer in my heart but want to share some thoughts from others. I once sat next to someone whose tithe I accidently saw; it was something like $943.71. I did have to chuckle on that…

43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say
unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which
have cast into the treasury:
44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

I don’t think this should be used as a legal guideline on tithing and certainly shouldn’t be used to brow-beat the elderly for not tithing their social security. My mother is tithing her social security and I am trying to make up for what she is losing by sending her money every month. When I give her that money, I found out she was also tithing that! Something is wrong here I think. When you are the recipient of alms, you shouldn’t be required to give a tenth of that to the church.

I wrote this, please allow me to correct any misunderstandings. I did not mean to make anyone feel guilty. There was a time when I paid tithing on my net. At that time in my life I felt I was a full tithepayer. (see original statement) I still feel as though I had been a full tithepayer back then. What changed? My understanding ? Maybe the gratitude I felt for the blessings ? Despite our desire to have a simple and discrete one line answer it is sometimes more than that. As our circumstances and our abilities change so does our understanding. I did not say I started paying tithing on my gross because I had not been a tithepayer before. I had been a tithepayer before. I had been blessed for being a tithepayer before. Please do not falsely imply I was criticizing someone for not paying tithe on their gross, for I did not. I expressed gratitude for the chance to be a tithepayer.

Don’t be hard on yourself and let the spirit guide you. You sound like a very dedicated member of the church to me and good luck to you brother!

Thank you. I am thankful for choosing whichever I see in ny eyes. I will be held accountable for my actions. Knowledge and wisdom with fasting will answer this and many more questions. I pay the bills since ny wives stroke. And I pay. for both as I am directed by the lord.

I keep track of the Social Security that I have paid so that I will know when I have exhausted the amount. I also keep track of my 401K which I will not I hope withdraw for several more years.

If you add up state, fed, fica, medicare, property, sales tax, subsidies, fees, etc the list goes on and on and on, (I live in California and taxes are brutal) i’m paying 60% of my income towards these entities…this is oppressive. I’ll share with you that my wife is not a member of the church and she has no idea how much I pay in tithes…but I pay every single dime I can with out damaging my marriage. That is what the Lord expects, he expects us to do the very best we can.