The Priceless Dividend: Tithing's Extraordinary Secret
The windows of heaven might already be flooding your life
Have you ever considered what the "windows of heaven" truly mean in your life? Most of us can recite Malachi's tithing promise by heart, but I wonder if we've limited our understanding of what God actually promised.
The Familiar Scripture
"Will a man rob God? Ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings... 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 the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it." – Malachi 3:8-10
These powerful words, echoed again in 3 Nephi 24:8-12, contain one of the most profound promises in scripture. But what exactly does it mean to have the "windows of heaven" opened in your life?
The Windows of Heaven
Some of us remember the 1969 film produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "Windows of Heaven," featuring Francis L. Urry as President Lorenzo Snow.
The film’s scratched and pitted color film emulsion of the day, combined with the hollow stereo soundtrack, immediately creates a nostalgic feel that transports us older viewers back to church gatherings of that era.
The movie tells the story of Lorenzo Snow, the fifth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his inspired efforts to reinstate the law of tithing during a time of deep financial hardship.
The film takes us to the drought-stricken community of St. George, where the Saints were struggling to survive. President Snow received a revelation that if the people would faithfully pay their tithing, the Lord would bless them.
Despite their dire circumstances, the Saints acted in faith, and soon, the heavens opened, bringing long-awaited rain. This story is a compelling reminder that obedience to divine principles brings both spiritual and temporal blessings, even in the most challenging times.
While watching the movie, I can almost sense the sweaty heat and aromas of the unairconditioned historical St. George tabernacle as President Snow encouraged the local pioneer Saints to begin paying tithing.
But are failing crops revived by rain the only blessing God had in mind?
Beyond the Temporal Mindset
Let me share something personal.
I've heard many claim financial success from paying tithing — and that may genuinely be their experience.
But I cannot honestly attribute paying tithing in my life to increasing our household income or adding temporal wealth. Though we have always enjoyed sufficient resources to meet our daily needs, a merciful blessing in its own right, financial success and accumulating increased wealth due to paying tithing simply hasn't been my experience.
And yet...
Looking through the 20/20 rearview mirror of my life's experiences, I can see clearly how the windows of heaven have been flung wide open — just not in the way I once expected.
The Heavenly Smorgasbord
Here's the rub: Life with God's blessings is like a plentiful smorgasbord of good things to partake of from a table so abundant and overflowing that you literally cannot sample every offering.
With four kids, their spouses, and 17 grandkids, my wife and I constantly face dilemmas of choice.
Confession time: Sometimes, we get frustrated, even a little grumpy, because we miss out on activities we want to attend.
But then one day I realized: This is precisely what Malachi promised.
Blessings poured out in such abundance that "there is not room enough to receive it."
The Moments Money Can't Buy
So I ask, what would I be willing to exchange in dollars for our posterity not to engage in all the abundant activities that means doing their best to follow the Lord?
What is the value of being present during a baby blessing, baptism, or ordination, or watching a grandchild beaming with excitement open their mission call, or being present when they go through the temple for the first time?
Or when we read those young adult missionaries' inspiring, often humorous, weekly letters while in the mission field and when they ultimately return home and report?
What is the value of sitting on the side of a mountain with a granddaughter watching the sun go down or seeing the beaming smile and excited eyes when a young one catches a beautiful rainbow trout?
How about when a granddaughter plays the piano or another who writes and sings songs so beautifully that I am briefly transported beyond the veil into the presence of departed loved ones who are also aware and listening?
Or being at ball games when the youngest generation displays their God-given joyful exhibition of pure talent?
How much would I be willing to accept in dollars in exchange for those blessings? $10, $20, $30, $1,000, millions of dollars? When you get down to it, the question is absurd.
No dollar value can be assigned to any of those cherished experiences. All are priceless, and they extend beyond this mortal realm and will continue into the eternities.
These moments are the real windows of heaven — thrown wide open with blessings streaming through like warm spring sunshine.
The Fruit of the Tree
So then, perhaps we should expand our understanding of Malachi's promise. Like a tree with many branches, the windows of heaven open to provide various fruits:
The fruit of spiritual insight — moments when scripture suddenly speaks directly to your situation
The fruit of family bonds — relationships that will outlast mortality itself
The fruit of witness — being present for sacred milestones in loved ones' lives
The fruit of memory — creating a legacy that shapes generations
The fruit of presence — simply being there when it matters most
And unlike financial prosperity, which moth and rust can corrupt, these fruits are enjoyed throughout the eternities.
A Different Kind of Accounting
But let me be clear: I'm not dismissing temporal blessings that come from paying tithing. The Lord does provide in miraculous ways.
Yet, when I balance my life's ledger, I realize that the truest wealth cannot be measured in dollars. It's measured in memories, relationships, spiritual growth, and moments of divine connection.
A few years ago, I finally came to the conclusion that I had been misreading Malachi all along. The promise isn't primarily about having enough money to pay bills (though God certainly cares about our needs).
It's about living a life so rich in what truly matters that you cannot contain the blessings that pour out.
That's been my experience. The windows are open so wide, and the blessings stream in so abundantly that my heart and calendar simply cannot hold them all.
To me, this is the real fulfillment of Malachi's promise—a life overflowing with the things money cannot buy.
Thanks for reading and thinking for yourself!
Russell Anderson
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P.S. I appreciate and respect your investment of precious time in reading my work! I strive to provide thought-worthy distilled country wisdom that generates a worthwhile return on your time investment.
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