At the end of my first year of marriage, I became very worried: We had not saved any money. I had grown up believing in the importance of saving in all situations and could not imagine the future of my family without savings. Saving would be the key that would allow us to plan our next vacation, replace the car within three to five years, and eventually purchase a home. If we had not managed to save in the first year, what guarantee did I have that we could save in the second or subsequent years?
To find a solution, the cause of the problem had to be identified. This led me to reflect for several days during January 2003. How was it possible that we had both worked for a whole year, earning a normal salary for junior professionals, but we had not been able to save a penny? Something was wrong. If other families were able to support themselves with one salary, how was it that we couldn’t save even a small portion of the second salary? We had not purchased big things for the house. We did not have extravagant expenses. We lived prudently. We hadn’t been sick, and the car had not given us any problems.
Since all such reviews did not provide a satisfactory answer, we began to ask God, “Lord, why haven’t we been able to save?” After several days of prayer and meditation, the answer came in the form of a favorite Scripture from Malachi 3:8 to 10: “‘Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, “How are we robbing you?” In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 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’” (NIV).1
TITHE ON ALL INCOME
My prayer continued but now with different questions: “Are we robbing God? Is it possible that we are under God’s curse?” My employer—the Paraguay Mission—deducted the tithe from my salary every month, so returning tithe was taken care of. Likewise giving offerings. Yet I could not understand what God was saying: “You are stealing from me.” For several days, the thought troubled me, as I sought for an explanation. I found an answer in Ellen White’s writings:
“We are not left to stumble along in darkness and disobedience. The truth is plainly stated, and it can be clearly understood by all who wish to be honest in the sight of God. A tithe of all our income is the Lord’s.”2
Could it be that we were not tithing all income? Did we have other sources of income besides salary? Yes. They were small, but they existed! The mission gave us a monthly car allowance and reimbursed a portion of some expenses (medical, telephone, etc.). In addition, from time to time, we received cash gifts from our parents or relatives.
After praying about it and continuing to read, I felt the conviction of sin, of stealing from the Lord for not being faithful in returning the tithe of all our income. I felt the weight of sin, because of ignorance or carelessness, and the need to reverse the situation. After my wife and I talked about it, studied the subject further, and prayed about it, we decided to tithe all our income, adding to the tithable base the gifts (in cash and in-kind) and benefits we received besides salary.
OFFERINGS: PROPORTION AND MOTIVATION
And what about offerings? As I studied the issue, I came across the story of the widow who donated two coins. Jesus and His disciples were sitting in the temple court, chatting and watching worshipers deposit their offerings in the box. Some well-dressed people, deposited many coins, which made a big noise as they fell into the box. Proudly they looked around and smiled as they continued their way. But a poor widow, bent over by the conditions of life, waited in a corner until there were few people present, and no one was lining up to deposit an offering. Trying to avoid having anyone look at her, she quietly went to the box, dropped in two small coins, and swiftly left the temple.
But Jesus and His disciples had observed her. Then the Master made a comment that reveals the true value with which God receives His people’s offerings. “Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you; this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43, 44, NIV, italics supplied). Awesome! God does not look at quantity, but proportionality. Ellen White explained Jesus’ words as follows:
“Christ called the attention of the disciples to this woman, who had given ‘all her living.’ Mark 12:44. He esteemed her gift of more value than the large offerings of those whose alms did not call for self-denial. From their abundance, they had given a small portion. To make her offering, the widow had deprived herself of even the necessities of life, trusting God to supply her needs for the morrow. Of her, the Savior declared, ‘Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury.’ Verse 43. Thus, He taught that the value of the gift is estimated not by the amount, but by the proportion that is given and the motive that actuates the giver.”3
I concluded that God does not value my offering by the amount, but by the proportion and the motive that drive me. Immediately images and words learned in childhood came to my mind. For example, my offering was proportionally greater than my tithe. That my father had said that in the Bible, the people of Israel had come to give 33 percent of their income to the Lord (10 percent of tithing plus 23 percent of offerings/taxes that sustained the political-religious system of government).
I immediately started doing calculations, How much were we giving in offerings? What percentage of our income was it? The calculations showed that we gave offerings equivalent to 2.5 percent of our income. I was shocked! Although the offering amount seemed reasonable, the percentage seemed so small. After talking with my wife, we decided to increase the percentage of offerings for that year to 3 percent, an increase of 20 percent over the previous year (0.5 is 20 percent of 2.5).
And what about our motivation to give? Why did I give offerings? What motivated me and drove me to give? The quick answer was: I gave because I had to give; because I would be ashamed to pass the offering bag in church without giving anything. Besides, I discovered that I was doing it by habit, as a tradition.
I did not find a deep and spiritual motive. I was filled with shame before the Lord and asked: “Give me the right motivation; I want to give offerings from my heart to Your heart.”
“TEST ME”
God guided my thoughts back to Malachi 3. After the Lord showed His people that He was being robbed, He gave them a promise: Test Me now on this. Bring tithes and offerings to my house and see “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it” (vs. 10; NKJV)!
“Lord.” I said, “are You sure You want me to test You? Didn’t Jesus tell Satan in the wilderness that we shouldn’t tempt Jehovah?” The impression was clear: I have given you conditional promises to strengthen your faith. Test me now! I want to show you My power and My love for you.
“But, Lord, if I bring You offerings waiting for Your blessing, won’t I have a selfish motivation?”
Think, Son—who gives you the strength and time to work and generate your income? I have already blessed you, otherwise, you wouldn’t have anything from which to bring Me offerings. I have pledged My word because I want you to make a covenant with Me!
“Lord, thank You for your promises. I want to have Your protection and blessing. If You tell me to test You, I want to test You! Increase my faith.”
Our covenant with the Lord had four parts:
We will put You first in our personal and family finances.
We will cry out to You to fulfill Your promise: Test Me, and I will pour out blessings.
We will tithe all our income.
We will give offerings as a percentage of our income. In making the covenant with God, we decided to keep a faithful record of all our income and expenses. Without a faithful record, it would be impossible to be able to return faithful tithe and offerings. In addition, we decided to prepare a monthly budget that would include our income, expenses, and savings.
At the end of that year, 2003, when we summarized our income and expenses. I was amazed to discover what had happened. Despite having increased spending—for giving more tithe and offerings—we had not lacked anything. Not only that, but despite having had less money in hand than the previous year, we had started to save! Thank God!
We knelt and thanked the Lord because He had fulfilled His promise. We did not know how, but He had fulfilled His promise. Maybe the soles of our shoes were not worn out so much, or the clothes lasted longer. Maybe the car did not need to visit the mechanic so often or the fuel was more efficient. Or maybe God sustained our health, and we thus spent less on medicines. He had promised to rebuke the devourer and make the vine fruitful in the field. So, it was. Our weak faith was strengthened by Him fulfilling His promise.
This confirmation encouraged us to take another step of faith. As we started a new year—2004—we decided to renew the covenant between the Owner of the universe and our lives. That covenant consisted of the same four elements, but with an increase in the percentage of offerings from three percent to five percent. It was a significant increase, but we pledged in faith. We said: “If this is from the Lord, it will succeed.” We made a new budget of income, expenses, and savings, and we prayed throughout the year for a new fulfillment of the promise, “Test Me.”
The end of the year arrived, and God again showed us the fulfillment of His promise. We had saved 25 percent more than what we had budgeted! How did it happen? We don’t know exactly, but we know that God worked miracles, as He had promised. Thank you, Lord, because You were, You are, and You will be faithful to Your promises!
Soon after, a pastor with whom we shared our testimony invited us to give a seminar in his church. Thanks to some materials I had from my dad, I began to give family finance seminars in the churches and schools of the Paraguay Mission. What a privilege and joy it was to share the biblical principles of stewardship and faithfulness!
As the blessings increased, our commitment to the Lord also increased. Each year we increased the percentage of offerings until reaching 20 percent in the sixth year. Each year, God gave us clear signs of the way He fulfilled His promise. Dreams we thought would take many years to achieve, God opened the doors for them to be realized. For example, being able to visit my parents in Russia, receiving many gifts for the births of our two children, buying an apartment, and studying for graduate degrees. The wise man said: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9, 10, NIV).
Jesus is preparing your heart for heaven, and that preparation includes correct financial planning. The Lord invites you today to put Him first in managing the resources He puts in your hands. Will you test Him today?
* The article is based on the second chapter of the book Libertad financiera: Principios bíblicos de administración, fidelidad y generosidad [Financial Freedom—Biblical Principles of Administration, Faithfulness, and Generosity] (Santiago, Chile: Asociación Casa Editora Sudamericana, 2019), paperback, 248 pages, and is reprinted by permission. Translated into English by the author.
Carlos Biaggi (PhD, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Philippines) is Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration at Middle East University in Metn, Lebanon. E-mail:
Recommended Citation
Carlos Biaggi, "“Test Me On This”," Dialogue 34:3 (2022): 20-23
NOTES AND REFERENCES
1. Scripture references in this article credited to NIV are quoted from the New International Version of the Bible. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. Texts credited to NKJV are quoted from the New King James Version of the Bible. Scripture taken from the King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2. Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1940), 82.
3. ____________ , The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1911), 342. Italics supplied.