Investing In God’s Promises
By Sonia A. Randall
 
Talking with a friend one day, I casually mentioned tithing.
"You mean you actually tithe? 10%?" she asked. I admitted it but she was unconvinced that it was even possible for most people today.
Later I wondered how we had managed in the early years of our marriage. After much thought, I realized it was only with God's help that we had been able to both tithe and save.
For instance, when we were newlyweds, we started a savings account. A job transfer took us to the Ozarks where we rented a house for a third of the average rent in that area. There were inconveniences, (hence the low rent), but we were young and adventurous and moved in. After all, we were putting money in the savings account every month!
One of the house's disadvantages was a cold damp concrete floor. Small rugs did little to make it feel cozy. Buying a carpet was out of the question because we didn't expect to be there very long. But when one of my husband's co-workers offered us a nearly new wool carpet for only $50, we thankfully bought it. That carpet fitted into every house we rented and never seemed to show any wear. After several moves, we bought a house already carpeted so we sold it to a young couple that was as thrilled to get it as we had been.
Another of God's blessings occurred when our daughter was a baby. She was susceptible to ear infections requiring antibiotics several times each winter. Instead of writing prescriptions, our doctor gave us samples he had received from drug companies. We could have paid for this medicine, but I believe God prompted the doctor to feel kindly toward us.
Once we were looking for a new bedroom set. Unfortunately all the ones we liked were sold as three-piece sets (bed, chest of drawers, and dressing table). We didn't need the dressing table since our bedroom was too small to accommodate all three, but the stores refused to break up the sets. Finally, we went to a warehouse outlet. Would you believe this dealer had a beautiful two-piece set he couldn't sell because there was no dressing table? He let us have the furniture at dealer's cost and was glad to unload it! Another time we traded an old pick-up for a brand new rototiller.
When I told my friend about these blessings, she suggested that we were just lucky. But these blessings were too opportune to be just chance. God's timeliness was evidence of His love at work.
Through the forty-plus years of our marriage, God has taught us to seek our money management principles from the Bible: give the first fruits to Him, deal honestly with everyone, waste nothing, stay out of debt, and remember the less fortunate. It is easier to manage wisely when we remember that it is not ours anyway -- it all belongs to God and we are only His stewards.
 
Sonia A. Randall writes from Corvallis Oregon. Sonia@Randallclan.net