The Lord has asked for his people to pay tithing since the days. of old. Moses and Abraham were asked to pay tithing. The pattern has continued through the ages. The Lord has also promised an outpouring of blessings for those that have paid their tithing. This lesson will help your children understand the WHY behind paying tithing.
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➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 O P E N I N G S O N G : "As a Child of God"
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N
You will need a small cup, a bag of rice, and a large bowl.
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Invite one of the children to hold the cup. They will use their cup to receive God’s “blessings”. Now, invite everyone to take turns naming specific blessings that they have received from Heavenly Father. Each time someone names a blessing, drop a single grain of rice into the cup. After everyone has had a turn to name a few blessings, read the following verse.
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my 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.” (Emphasis added.)
-3 Nephi 24:10
Now ask the following question:
1) What do you think it would look like if Heavenly Father gave us a blessing so great that we didn’t have enough room to receive it? (Discuss.)
2) Does Heavenly Father ever break a promise? (No.)
3) “Do you know what the law of tithing is?” (Discuss. If needed, explain that tithing is when we offer one tenth of our increase to God.)
Now place the bowl under the cup (to catch the excess) and slowly pour all of the rice into the cup so that the children can watch the cup fill and continuously overflow.
Explain: Today we are going to learn about God’s law of tithing! When we are baptized, the law of tithing is one of the commandments that we promise to keep. And God has promised us great blessings when we keep this law.
🎥 V I D E O : "Abigail and the Toy Kitty | Animated Scripture Lesson for Kids"
Say: “Now we are going to watch a video about Abigail. Abigail works very hard to earn money to buy a toy kitty! She wants to pay her tithing, but if she does, she won’t have enough money left to buy the toy kitty! Let’s watch and see what Abigail decides to do…”
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) When Abigail had to make a choice, did she choose to buy the kitty or did she choose to pay her tithing? (She paid her tithing.)
2) Do you think that was a hard choice for Abigail to make? (Discuss.)
3) Why did she choose to pay her tithing? (She loved Heavenly Father the most and she wanted to keep His commandments.)
4) Do you think it will always be easy for us to pay our tithing? (No, sometimes it will be a sacrifice.)
5) Do you think Heavenly Father will take our tithing from us, or do you think He will let us choose? (He will let us choose.)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Read the following scriptures and discuss the questions that follow.
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
1) Do you know who is speaking in this verse? (Moses is speaking.)
2) Did Moses pay tithing to God? (Yes.)
3) How much did he give to God? (One tenth.)
15 And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes of one-tenth part of all he possessed.
1) Who paid tithing in this verse? (Abraham paid his tithes.)
2) How much did Abraham give to God? (One tenth.)
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my 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.
1) Does the Lord break His promises? Or does He keep His promises? (He always keeps His promises.)
2) What did the Lord promise in this verse? (He promised to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing.)
3) If we pay our tithing, what does that mean? (It means that we can have faith in that promise!)
➤ C O L O R I N G P A G E
Pass out the coloring page
Invite the children to color the scene from “Abigail and the Toy Kitty.” Read the scripture that is on the coloring page with the children. Use this time to talk about having faith in God’s promises!
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
'Come, Follow Me' is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.