Relief Society · Elders Quorum · 25 minutes
Elder Patricio M. Giuffra · Of the Seventy · Saturday Afternoon Session
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Tithing is a law of faith: when we obey it, even when the numbers do not seem to work, we show we trust the Lord and let Him keep His promises in His own time and way.
Skip the President Nelson and President Oaks quotes and the stories from Central America, and spend the time on the sister in Puerto Montt and the class discussion.
Before Sunday
Sunday: Elder Giuffra on tithing and trust
This Sunday we will discuss Elder Patricio M. Giuffra's talk "Trusting the Lord Through Tithes and Offerings" from the Saturday afternoon session of general conference. Please read it or listen to it in Gospel Library. It includes a story about a 70-year-old woman in Chile who did not think she could ever afford to pay tithing. As you read, ponder this: when has obeying a commandment asked you to trust the Lord before you could see how things would work out?
Pick one opening
Think of a commandment that made perfect sense to you right away, and then one that took more faith to keep. Without naming names, what makes a commandment feel hard to keep even when we believe it is true? Today we will look at tithing as Elder Giuffra describes it: a law of faith, where obeying shows our trust in the Lord.
Think of a commandment that made perfect sense to you right away, and then one that took more faith to keep. Without naming names, what makes a commandment feel hard to keep even when we believe it is true? Today we will look at tithing as Elder Giuffra describes it: a law of faith, where obeying shows our trust in the Lord.
As a missionary in Puerto Montt, Chile, Elder Giuffra taught a woman about 70 years old. She cleaned houses and washed clothes, and what she earned barely covered rent, firewood, and a little food. When she learned about tithing, she told him sadly that she would never have enough money to live it. He agreed it made sense from a worldly view, and he wondered if the Lord made exceptions. Let's see what happened.
Teach this first
Elder Giuffra teaches that the law of tithing is a law of faith. When the sister in Puerto Montt could not see how she could pay, she knelt and told Heavenly Father she wanted to join His Church and that He would need to help her live this law. Her bishop later reported that she brought her tithing envelope every week. Obeying before we can see how it will work out is how we show our trust, and it lets the Lord work in our lives, often in ways we do not expect.
Elder Giuffra closed by teaching that the law of tithing is a law of faith, and that as we obey it, we demonstrate our trust in the Lord and allow Him to work miracles in our lives.
Ask the class
If time remains
Elder Giuffra's wife teaches that we keep the commandments because we love God, not merely to get blessings. Obedience does not remove trials, but the Lord knows our circumstances, honors our obedience, and keeps His promises in His own time and way.
Ask the class
Counsel together
Last 3–5 minutes
This week, pray the way the sister in Puerto Montt did: tell Heavenly Father honestly where you need help keeping a commandment, including tithing or fast offerings, and ask Him to help you live it.
Elder Giuffra teaches that as we obey the law of tithing, we allow the Lord to work miracles in our lives, often in ways we do not expect, and that He fulfills His promises in His own time and way (see Malachi 3:10).
Your witness: Think of a time when keeping the law of tithing or fast offerings asked you to trust the Lord. Briefly share what you were facing, what you chose, and what that taught you about Him.