“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
— Malachi 3:10

“Test Me in this…” It feels so unorthodox to test God, doesn’t it? In fact, there are many places in scripture that contain very strong rebukes against putting God to the test. But God encourages us to test him with our tithing, and with that, we will be blessed abundantly. Why does he urge us to test him in this? I believe it is because he knew then, and he knows now, that a majority of us have trouble trusting him with our finances. Money and our financial security is a driving force that has a stronger hold on us than we care to admit.

Christians withhold from tithing for various reasons. Perhaps it is lack of trust as to where the money is being delegated, possible selfishness, or fear of not being able to pay all of the bills once that 10 percent is given. We must ask ourselves, “What comes first in my life, my God or my money?” How can we trust God with our eternal lives, yet fail to trust him with our finances? I believe this test not only exposes a lack of faith in so many of us Christians, but a lack of obedience as well.

I have been blessed to grow up with parents that instilled in me the importance of tithing. I have heard numerous stories from them about the immense amount of blessings that have flowed from my parents’ faithfulness and obedience with tithing. One of the many examples of his faithfulness is a story my dad has shared time and time again. Early on in their marriage, they were forced to make the decision between paying their tithe or paying the electric bill. Living paycheck to paycheck while going to college and raising a family was stressful enough, but the decision whether to keep the lights on or give to God in faithfulness was one that they wrestled with. They had faith that God would stand behind his word and take care of them, so they paid their tithe that month. Sure enough, an unexpected check that was the exact amount, down to the penny, came in the mail shortly after, so not only was the tithe paid, but the lights were kept on. Their obedience to the Lord and faith that he would keep his promise has stuck with me my entire life. Because of my parents’ examples, and my faithfulness in giving back to God, I now have experienced immeasurable blessings of my own.

God proves to us each and every day that he is faithful and that he can be trusted with all things, big and small. If we trust him to keep our planets in orbit and the Earth spinning, then we should be able to trust him with our finances.

I urge you to put your faith to the test and turn your finances over to God. Be prepared to give him all of the glory when you see the abundance of blessings that he will pour out into your life when you act in obedience with tithing. After all, God can do more with your 10 percent than you can do with your 100 percent.