God's Report Card

I just set up my online account to start giving money to the church every two weeks. To be completely honest, my stomach is a little uneasy just thinking about it. I've never officially tithe before. I use to just throw a couple of dollars in the offering plat when it was passed, but that was only if I had enough money leftover in my wallet to buy a couple of cheeseburgers for lunch.

I'm not proud of the way I have handled my money in the past. Its been all about me and what I want. I remember one of my first days at Ozark Christian College as a freshman. There was a worship service on campus I attended that first Sunday I was in Joplin. When it came time for offering, I thought I should put some money in the plate that was being passed for the fear of someone noticing I didn't put any money in the plate thus making me less of a Christian. I opened up my wallet and put in what I thought was a $10 bill. You see, I am a spoiled guy. My parents gave me $400 every semester to spend on myself, and they usually gave me four $100 bills or a check. That day I also had other bills in my wallet, so I grabbed the $10 and put it in the plate. When I got back to my dorm room I noticed a hundred dollar bill missing from my wallet and that my $10 bill was still there. Then it hit me...I accidentally threw in the $100 bill instead of the ten. My stomach dropped and my face went pale. I thought to myself, "I just wasted one hundred dollars."

Looking back at that moment, I am not proud of myself, and yet today I have that same feeling in my stomach. I think it all comes down to faith. Do I have faith that God will use the money I give better than the double cheeseburgers I would but if I kept the money? Do I have faith that God will provide for me even though I have less money? Do I have faith?

Right now I don't think I have the faith I should have, but this will be good for me. Malachi 3:8-12 talks about how we should test God in our tithing and giving. Malachi 3:10 says, " 'Test me in this (tithing),' says the Lord, 'and see if I will not throw open the flood gates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'"

I'm excited to see my faith grow, because I guess I am testing God in my finances. I think the odds are in my favor, because God has never failed a test. Of course I need to have the right perspective on this. The way God provides might not be the way I want Him to, but He always provides whats best for me. So does this mean next a $100 bill will show up on my doorstep? Probably not. God might just give me a content spirit or joy to be able to make it through tough circumstances. Whatever it is, I know God will pass the test...He's a straight A student. I think...I know he will pass the Test.