Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Why We Pay Tithes First

Very rarely does a day go by in which I do not blog. Even more rarely does a day go by in which I don't blog, when I could have. Yesterday was one of those days. I suppose I was just too concerned about getting ready for my upcoming trip and making sure I had done most, if not all, of the homework that would be due when I got back. My attention was elsewhere, and I missed my opportunity.

Had I not been so distracted with other things, I could have blogged yesterday. Had I left one or two pieces of homework unfinished, for me to complete next week, or sometime on my trip, I could have blogged instead. If I left left a chore undone, I could have blogged instead. Whether or not my priorities where in the right place is debatable, but I had made a commitment to blog daily, and I could have blogged that morning, but I didn't.

This reminds me of why we're counselled to pay tithing first, before we pay our other expenses. If we pay the other expenses first, it's easy to accidentally consume our income on other things, perhaps less necessary things, and then not have enough money leftover to pay a full tithe. However, if we pay our tithing first, we will have met our spiritual commitment, and we'd have the rest of our money leftover to pay our other expenses. Miraculous exceptions aside, the amount of money we have will not change. We'll just be allocating our money in a different way - a way that is more aligned with our moral principles and that is more likely to grant us spiritual blessings.

I don't know exactly what my schedule will be like for the next few days, but I'm pretty sure that I'll have at least some time each morning, so I can, theoretically, blog then. I will certainly try. Though it is tempting to sleep in or enjoy the amenities of my current venue, blogging is more important to me than sleeping or making sure the rug gets swept. I have made a commitment to blog. Those other things are less essential.

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