The Use of Money

[RabbiKnife]

OK, I'm bored with all the infighting on all the other threads.

I read a fascinating sermon by John Wesley from about 1744.  Wesley, since his days at OXford, kept his expenses to less than 30 pounds sterling per year, or about the amount of a skilled laborers income for 300 work days.  Call it $96,000 in today's dollars.
Everything over 28 pounds sterling a year he gave away for the rest of his life and kept is expenses steady, even in the years he earned 1400 pounds a year, a fortune.

Here's the sermon.

https://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Text.Only/pdfs/The_Use_of_Money_Text.pdf

Here's the question:  Are we willing to even consider the kind of financial stewardship that Wesley proposes?

Discuss.

[RandyPNW]

OK, I'm bored with all the infighting on all the other threads.

I read a fascinating sermon by John Wesley from about 1744.  Wesley, since his days at OXford, kept his expenses to less than 30 pounds sterling per year, or about the amount of a skilled laborers income for 300 work days.  Call it $96,000 in today's dollars.
Everything over 28 pounds sterling a year he gave away for the rest of his life and kept is expenses steady, even in the years he earned 1400 pounds a year, a fortune.

Here's the sermon.

https://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Text.Only/pdfs/The_Use_of_Money_Text.pdf

Here's the question:  Are we willing to even consider the kind of financial stewardship that Wesley proposes?

Discuss.

No. He's a good example for setting priorities before God. But each individual has to plan together with God based on his or her own vision. You don't have to promise what you are free to keep. But if the vision God has given you requires that you travel light, then of course you should travel light, disposing of unnecessary items.

Perhaps life has been very hard for you. God may want to make up for it by giving you some entertainments and indulgences that cost. I wouldn't say keeping that value is greedy or materialistic.

You may not be called to be in ministry, and what ministry you accomplish as an individual may not require a lot of resources. So balancing your budget to favor ministry is less important. Disposing of items that absorb your time away from things you could be doing that are more valuable should be the concern.

Quite frankly, hoarding it a terrible addiction, and we all need to keep our greedy little hands off of everything we wish to keep. Besides, it's good for the soul to see others enjoy pleasures at our expense!

[RabbiKnife]

Do you disagree with any of his principles of financial stewardship as set forth in his sermon?

[RandyPNW]

Do you disagree with any of his principles of financial stewardship as set forth in his sermon?

I was responding to the subject as you introduced it. I didn't read the sermon. Right now I'm trying to manage my time wisely.

It's not important a subject to me personally. If it is important to you, I'll read it.

[Athanasius]

Here's the question:  Are we willing to even consider the kind of financial stewardship that Wesley proposes?

I think we have to be, where I would find his three axioms to be specifically in contradistinction to the view today that one might:

- Gain all they can
- Save all they can
- Give away ~10%
- Spend all they can

I'd be conscious that we don't want to imbue spending with a moral character necessarily or introduce the question of sin, but I think either is possible as irresponsible spending is possible, as is "ugh, well I'll give 10% but nothing more and the rest is mine".

[RandyPNW]

Do you disagree with any of his principles of financial stewardship as set forth in his sermon?

It was a good sermon. He said a lot of things I've been saying, as well. We give our lives 100% to God. But God is not asking us to give away everything He gives us. We need money to pay bills and expenses. If we don't get ourselves into more debt, we can give some to help others. The church has bills which we all should contribute to--not a tenth, but whatever we deem we should do to give equally, as we are able.

God owns everything, and needs us to give nothing. But He apparently wants us to give things simply so that we are like Him, giving not out of legalism, but out of love when we are able to do so charitably, from the heart. Coerced giving is something I absolutely hate. I hate schemes to get you to give.

But the sermon was good. Money isn't evil--it meets a lot of needs in life. It's a tool, and we should manage it wisely, and not with a foolish kind of "faith," as the prosperity preachers preach it.