“And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts (Mal 3:12).
This Bible verse is part of a text that is often quoted to talk about God's tithes. But, what does it mean to
be a delightful land?
In order for a person to be able to become “a delightful land,” he must have something good in himself that other people want to have.
A Christian is a delightful land to other people when he has a Good Testimony in the midst of his community. Achieving a Good Testimony is not at all simple; it is necessary to first overcome many adversities. Such is the case with Abraham, a wealthy Maasai cattle owner.
This man, who never learned to read or write, was accepting the Christian doctrine through the AWR station in Tanzania: from how to live a more healthful life to the importance of returning an honest tithe.
Abraham owned more than 1,000 head of cattle and large herds of sheep and goats scattered over Tanzania and Kenya, he decided that he would strive to be faithful with all his holdings.
So he placed his cattle in large pens and counted the cows one through nine as they went through the chute. The 10th cow, however, Abraham dedicated as a tithe for God.
As time went on and Abraham continued to reserve every 10th animal for God’s tithe, his friends and acquaintances were amazed. In their culture, people’s wealth is measured in cattle. One doesn’t just give away his cows! So for some, Abraham became a laughingstock as many people declared him to be crazy.
But the laughter abruptly stopped nine months later when 40 of Abraham’s cows gave birth to twins! In addition, many of his goats and sheep birthed triplets! God was blessing him as He had Jacob, Abraham’s grandson from the Bible.
Even though at first Abraham's testimony was a cause for ridicule from his neighbors, it later became a soul-winning message. His neighbors approached the local church pastors saying, “We want to tithe, too, just like Abraham is doing.”
“But you’re not members of the Adventist Church,” the pastors replied in surprise.
“We don’t care! We want God’s blessings, so we want to return tithe with our cows, goats, and sheep as well!” they insisted.
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “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.” (Mal 3:10)
During the dry seasons, a local village chief charged other cattle owners to water their cows at his pond. But, the testimony of God’s work in Abraham’s life led to a bountiful blessing. God inspired him to build a larger pond and let the cattle owners water their cattle there for free. He also hired a Bible worker to preach to them about Jesus while they water their animals. The cattle owners are so grateful for the free water that they gladly listen to the messages!
People are so impressed by Abraham’s testimony and generous spirit that many have expressed a desire to belong to his church. This is very significant, as the Maasai are traditionally reluctant to convert to Christianity. But Abraham’s testimony is more powerful than tradition.
So far, thanks to Abraham’s testimony, more than 80 Maasai people have accepted Jesus and have been baptized.
You, too, can be a “delightful land” to the people living around you. Your lifestyle is also a way to preach the gospel.
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