Personal Progress: Faith - Tithing

I can remember back when I struggled with paying my tithing. We were a young family and barely made ends meet. It wasn't something I was taught very strongly growing up, and with Dennis being a convert at 19, it was a new concept for him as well. We would pay for awhile, then when life got hard, we would quit, then felt we had to pay back tithing and couldn't afford to do that, and so the battle rage on within us. Finally we had a Bishop that got through to us. He read us the scripture in Malachi 3:8-11
Will a moan rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
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 you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

Bishop Harding promised us that if we paid our tithing first, we would always be blessed with what we needed and this scripture would be fulfilled in our lives.
Ever since that time we have paid our tithing and we have been blessed. We have not been without our struggles (remember the post about prayer when I quit my job on faith?).
In the beginning we paid our tithing on our very humble faith and the tremendous faith of Bishop Harding. But as time when on we have developed a strong testimony of tithing and now don't ever think of it as a burden, but as a blessing. The Lord has blessed us with everything, absolutely everything, and all He asks in return is a mere 10% to keep His Gospel and this church going forward. I was glad for this opportunity to read this scripture again, as it brought back these memories and I could reflect on how much I have grown these many years.