Test God?

Test God?
by Natalie Thomas, Business Administer

When I was in college I made the decision to test God with my tithes. I didn’t have much money in college. Like most college students, I had limited income to cover my bills. My pastor at the time would go to Malachi each Sunday during offering to remind us about what God said about giving your tithes and to test God.

Malachi 3:10 is a unique verse in the Bible, for in it God grants us permission to test Him in regards to tithing. Since I was a college student I knew all too well what a test meant, which was very interesting to me, the choice of words. One Sunday I decided to test God and have been testing him ever since.

It’s really been a test for me as well, particularly in the hard times. It was in those hard times, like when the economy took a dive in 2008. My husband had to change jobs because no one was buying cars, but we continued to tithe. God provided for us in those difficult times, not just financially, but with good health, peace of mind, and unspeakable joy. To this day we are still testing God with our tithes and his word has not returned void.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hello and welcome back to the Live Boldly Podcast, brought to you by Celebration Baptist Church. I'm Jessica, and today I'm joined by Mrs. Natalie Thomas, who is our business administrator here at Celebration. Natalie is going to talk to us about the idea of actually testing God through tithing. Natalie, you mentioned in your Live Boldly article today that you made the decision while still in college to test God with your tithes. What does it mean to test God?

SPEAKER_00 0:33

When I was in college, my pastor at the time would go to Malachi each Sunday during offering to remind us about what God said about giving your tithe and to test God. I'll read the scripture to you. The scripture says, Bring your whole tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, said the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not open up the floodgates of heaven and pour out so many blessings that there will not be room enough to store it. That's Malachi 3.10. So one Sunday I decided to test God with my tithe.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

That's impressive. What would you say to someone who's hesitant of tithing because of a lack of funds? Maybe they're putting off until they have more money, maybe they're in college like you were, and that's always a rough time. What would you say to them?

SPEAKER_00 1:16

I would say that I understand. When I was in college, I was in the same position with the lack of funds. And even when we had our first child, we had a lot of expenses. But um the first thing that comes to my my mind is in Malachi where it says, Test me in this, said the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not, and this is the key point, throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessings that there is not room enough to store it. So I had to trust that God will supply all my needs and He will also supply the increase.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Yeah. So why do you think it's important to tithe even during times of financial stress?

SPEAKER_00 1:57

That's a great question. Do you know the scripture where it says, if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? That's Matthew 5 and 46. That's a good comparison to me to financial stress because it's easy to love someone who loves you. It's easier to give when you have a lot to give. But the real test comes when you can love someone who's not kind to you, or you can give when you don't have a lot to give. For me, it's in those hard times that I grow the most because it's testing my obedience and my faithfulness to God's word.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

That's really important. So the idea of testing God almost seems counterintuitive. Why do you think Malachi uses this specific phrase of testing God?

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Um, I think God uses the test phrase to get our attention because normally you don't test God. Right. And Malachi 3.10 is definitely a um unique verse in the Bible because it actually gives us permission to test God in regards to tithing.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

So how did this passage in Malachi impact you personally?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Malachi was a game changer for me. It's like a financial blueprint that God has given us. Malachi says a lot more than what we have time to go over today. So I would suggest to anyone who's listening, read Malachi chapter 3, verse 9 through 9 through 12. Um, it's very powerful.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

That's awesome. Miss Nile, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm looking forward to what else it is that you have to speak on in the coming days. To all of our listeners, don't forget, follow Celebration Baptist Church on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. There you can keep up with our current sermon series, live boldly, and explore what else is happening in our celebration family. Natalie, would you pray for us today? Sure.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Lord God, I pray for the people who are considering tithing for the first time and those who have been tithing. I pray for our overflow of blessings in their lives. Lord God, reveal yourself to them like only you can. Lord, thank you for what you have done in my life and at our church. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Amen. Thank you, Natalie. Be sure to tune in again tomorrow to hear more of Natalie's story. We'll see you then.