p. 3 | Prove Me Now Herewith by T. E. Bowen

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 26, 1910

“Prove Me Now Herewith”

By T. E. Bowen

T. E. BOWEN

The Lord invites his children to prove his promises. The invitation is made in connection with God’s asking that his part, the one tenth, shall be faithfully paid over to him. “Prove me now,” the Lord says, in every emergency when the temptation comes with such power to use God’s part. In this definite thing in hand here, just now, “prove me.” Have I ever failed you? Do I not know that you have need of food, of clothing, of shelter? But so have my missionaries. They must be fed. They need homes in unfriendly lands. They must be clothed. If you rob me of my portion, who will supply their need?

O, brother, sister! trust in God. Send on what belongs to the Lord, promptly, cheerfully. The rest will come out all right in God’s own time and way, if you trust and wait.

The following experience of a brother who has proved the Lord to his own satisfaction, in times of severe trial, may be an encouragement to some other soul. In a personal letter he writes:—

“I have had my ups and downs, and after passing through many sore trials and temptations, and especially in paying my tithe and getting myself into debt, the dear Lord has helped me to get such a good position that I can pay a good tithe and offerings, and am paying off all my debts. I hope that I can live to get them all paid off.

“Perhaps no Seventh-day Adventist ever passed through more sore trials and extreme poverty than I have; but I am now earning enough to pay every week in tithes and offerings as much as my total income was at one time, when I had my wife and four children to keep in —— [a large city]. Then when I came home on Friday night, and placed my tithe in the box, my dear wife very

bitterly opposed my paying it, being influenced by her friends, and could see nothing ahead but starvation for her and the children. Even through the week she would come to me with tears in her eyes to tell me that she needed money, and ask me if I would not let her have some of the tithe money. But my answer was, ‘My dear, I can not rob God.’ My faith was sorely tried, but my dependence was upon Mal. 3:7-10. Now it is being answered. Truly he will not lie to his children. Bless his holy name! He is helping me now, just as he said he would.”

It pays to be honest. It pays to deal truly with one’s own conscience. God claims as his the first-fruits of our increase, one tenth of it all. He puts every man, woman, and child upon his own honor, and in a sense makes every one a treasurer, a carrier of “the bag.” But a reckoning day is coming. And if the part belonging to God has not been faithfully handed in to his treasury, some one will have to explain why.

Takoma Park, D. C.