Tithe Testimony From A New York College Student
A little more than a month ago, I was unfaithful in returning my tithe. It bothered me because in the past I didn’t take it as seriously as I should, so I was trying to be on top of it.
So, instead of putting it off, I would take out God's money before I did anything else with my pay; but this time around, I did not.
In the back of my head, I knew I should take it out first, but I kept putting it off. Then before I knew it, once the bills were paid, plus buying food and gas for my car, there was no more money left for God. That bothered me.
So once my next paycheck came in, I decided to put 90 percent of the full check as tithe, with the rest for the offering.
My pay isn’t much. I’m in college and usually work only on weekends, but it was $200 for tithe and about $20 for the offering. I prayed over it and asked God to forgive me. I wanted to make it up to Him, so when Sabbath came around, I was happy to put the money into the offering plate.
The following Friday, right before Sabbath, I was checking my e-mail to see what shifts I could pick up that weekend. I opened the most recent e-mail my employer sent me, and there were open shifts on Sunday. However, highlighted in gold next to a number of the shifts was a bonus. The bonus was exactly $200!
Bonuses aren’t uncommon, but this was the first time I had ever seen a $200 bonus since working there. It was more than double of what they usually gave. I was going to immediately pick it up because I knew the spots would go fast, but since I remembered that the Sabbath was now coming on, I decided not to. I told myself, “If God wants me to have that shift, He will leave it open for me until after the Sabbath.”
So, the next day, after we closed out the Sabbath, I checked the schedule to see if a spot was still open. I work as an EMT for a private ambulance company, so we aren’t confined to only one location. We often work in different stations, sometimes more than an hour from where we live. So when I checked the schedule to see if any of the spots were still open, to my surprise, there was! It was the only spot open across the whole company, and it was the station that is 5 minutes from my home. I called the office and took the shift. I immediately thanked God.
When I came in for work the next day, I asked a guy who had been working there for about 20 years if he had ever seen a $200 bonus while working there. He said he had never seen that before. I also paid attention to see if the company would do it again, but they have not given out a $200 bonus since—at least for my level of training.
Learn more about alternative ways of giving here: www.adventist.org/giving
