Inside Story for Friday 23rd of January 2026
Eleven-year-old Alvan Harold liked hearing coins jingling in his pocket as he walked home from school in Kisumu, Kenya. Then he could stop by a shop and buy some crunchy nuts or a cold ice cream.
One day, the fifth-grade Bible teacher shocked Alvan by talking about his beloved pocket money. “You should not spend all your pocket money on nuts and ice cream,” she said. “Save some to give to God on Sabbath.”
Image © Pacific Press
Alvan put money in the offering plate on Sabbath. It was money that his father gave him on Sabbath morning. Teacher spoke about that money, too.
“When you give money from your parents in church, you are only giving for your parents,” she said. “You aren’t giving your own money.” She read Malachi 3:8: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings” (NKJV).
Alvan thought that Teacher was criticizing him, and he didn’t like that. But then he thought, Maybe she is just a little bit right.
It was Thursday, and Alvan had already spent all his pocket money for that week. He decided to save money for God the next week. But the next week, he again spent all his money.
Two months passed, and Alvan was terribly disappointed with himself. He just couldn’t seem to save money for offering.
One day, he and his 17-year-old brother, Allan, passed an ice-cream shop as they walked home. Alvan had a 20-shilling coin (20 U.S. cents) in his pocket, and he decided to spend it on ice cream.
But his big brother stopped him. “It’s childish to walk around eating ice cream,” he said. “I won’t walk around with someone eating ice cream.” Alvan was annoyed. He wanted ice cream, but he couldn’t argue. So he didn’t buy it.
When Sabbath arrived, he still had the 20 shillings in his pocket. He put the coin in the offering plate along with 20 shillings that his parents had given him that morning. It felt good to give his own money to God. He had given up something he really wanted for the offering money, and realized it wasn’t such a loss.
The next week, Alvan managed to save another 20 shillings, and he gave it as offering. He liked the feeling! He decided to give 20 shillings every Sabbath —and he has to this day. To his surprise, he has never run out of money again. Before, he never had enough money to last the week. But now he always has enough money. In fact, he often has more than 20 shillings left over, and he gives the extra money to Father to put into savings.
Sometimes Alvan is tempted to buy nuts or ice cream, but he reminds himself that he must have 20 shillings for God on Sabbath.
“I remind myself that God’s work is better than what I want,” he said.
