Dear Brother and Sisters.
We are living in an unimaginable time. The miracles and the trials we are facing have probably taken some of us by surprise. We are certainly living in the times as prophesied in the scriptures—these are special days, and we were prepared and chosen to live in this time. We are meant to be here.
A couple of weeks ago, I read a message from Elder Ted Callister on the back of the Church News where in the title he asks: “Does worldly math or spiritual math govern our lives?” This is a great concept that I loved teaching while on my mission.
As missionaries, we knew that while teaching the doctrine of tithing that some would find this doctrine difficult to accept. One way that we were able to explain this doctrine was with the promise that in the Lord’s math 90% is greater than 100%. The 90% that is left after when one pays tithing, would go farther than the original 100%--because the Lord makes all the difference. When we pay tithing, or sacrifice anything for that matter, in the name of the Lord, we are opening the doors to receive miracle blessings.
Brothers and Sisters, have you ever seen the Lord’s math in your lives? Have you ever been blessed with something that you didn’t think was feasible or possible? This concept goes beyond the principle of tithing. It applies to everything we do in the gospel. Think for a moment of the following examples, of Lords math, found in the scriptures and given by Elder Callister in his article:
Nephi and his brothers obtaining the brass plates from Laban who was much more powerful than these young man. With the Lord’s blessings, the unlikely happened, they were able to defeat the mighty Laban.
Moses demonstrated faith in the Lord’s math as he faced the powerful Egypt empire. This is one of the greatest stories portraying how the Lord can make his people strong even when the odds are heavily stacked against them
David and Goliath.
Helaman’s two thousand warriors in the Book of Mormon. How is a group of untrained young man able to defeat trained Lamanite soldiers that overmatched them in numbers and in the battle skills?
How an unlearned 14-year-old boy received the visitation of God the Father and Jesus Christ? Then this young man goes on, later in his life, to translate the Book of Mormon and restore Christ’s kingdom on the earth.
These are all unlikely scenarios. Or rather, these are unlikely scenarios when we use worldly math, and forget to apply the more advanced concepts of the Lord’s math. Growing up, my family struggled financially. We lived the proverbial paycheck to paycheck, and sometimes not even covering our monthly expenses. I worked full time but my salary of $30 per month didn’t go very far in helping with our family expenses. Our family was young in the gospel and at that time, we struggled with the concept of tithing. In our circumstances, paying tithing just didn’t make sense when applying worldly math. However, I knew that if I was going to become a missionary, I had to gain my testimony of the doctrine of tithing. I began paying my tithing and got ready to serve a mission. Now, our financial situation was about to get worse as my income was no longer going to be an option—again worldly math. My mother decided that she also needed to gain a testimony of tithing and began paying it. When we started trusting the Lord, blessings came as promised. My mother was able to pay tithing, her household expenses, and my mission. My mother’s hard work and trust in God, and His commandments, allowed blessings to flow. Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us engage our Father in Heaven more fully in our lives. I know at times we may think that the odds are stacked against us, but that is the world’s math. In reality, when we trust the Lord and apply His math, we tip the odds completely in our favor “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” (Kings 6:16). Let’s not be disheartened by what is happening around us. Let us do our part to serve one another, be good citizens in our community, and love the Lord and our families. If we do these things, joyful eternal perspective will fill our lives. We love you brothers and sisters. We are excited for Stake Conference in a couple of weeks. President Carnavale President Jackson President Beckstrand Washington Stake Presidency