Test Me in This
God allows Himself to be examined for Validity
Matthew 6: 31-33
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
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The Bible has a lot to say about money and idols. It intends to show us about currency and wealth and how the economy works in God's Kingdom. The God of the Bible is the God who provides.
This verse has a very personal application for me.
While I was evaluating what it would mean to be a Christian, I wanted a way to know if God is trustworthy. I decided that before I trust God with my place in eternity, I needed to know if He could be trusted with money.
So I started giving to the church regularly.
I found that I was still able to pay rent and bills.
So, I increased the amounts of my giving with the same results. I met expenses and found that I even had money left over I hadn't planned on and didn't have a clear answer on why.
On the basis of the good early results I committed to give 10% regularly. Same results. Even though I gave more than ever, my finances were completely stable and sound.
That was 1994. Since then I and we (now married) have always had resources to meet expenses and more while raising a family, even through periods of unemployment. We have seen funds arrive just in time as needed and other instances where six-figure medical expenses greater than we could afford were met.
This verse is a gateway verse. It is a tangible way to evaluate God's ability and trustworthiness. God calls us to test him in this area. Does it prove God exists? Well, it's hard to make a case against it.
We have also seen God's faithfulness in many other areas of life, some of which can be found on pages on this site (18, 23, 24, 28, 31, 43, 45, 47, 48)