
John Wesley preached his sermons wherever he could find a “pulpit,” often in the open air, and to whoever would listen – largely the neglected lower class. As poor miners and laborers gathered to hear the compelling evangelist, thousands were converted. They didn’t just give lip-service to God, either. Their lives were drastically changed. They stopped drinking and gambling. They started to read, improving literacy through use of the Bible. They became honest men and women, dedicated to their families and their churches and their Lord.
But John Wesley had this frustration: He knew that genuine Christianity would improve the lifestyles of these poverty-stricken believers. Money would be managed in moral and responsible ways. Nest-eggs would grow. Barefoot children would have shoes and families would put meat on the table and tattered rags would be traded for decent clothing. This was a good thing…yet he recognized that as these people acquired possessions, their spiritual commitment would decline. They would be less inclined to share with those in need, more inclined to carefully protect what they’d stockpiled, to trust in it, to focus on it, to add to it.
It was factual observation, an inevitable progression…unless they followed all three points of his famous sermon on “The Use of Money.”
1. Earn all you can. We should be industrious (without overworking).
2. Save all you can. Do not waste anything.
3. Give all you can. "Render unto God," he preached, “not a tenth, not a third, not half, but all that is God's…by employing all on yourself, your household, the household of faith, and all mankind, in such a manner, that you may give a good account of your stewardship when ye can be no longer stewards.”
Only by recognizing it all as God’s, and themselves as stewards, could spiritual revival be sustained. Only by continually and consistently giving it away could the people avoid the spiritual decline that follows material success.
Human nature hasn’t changed much. Even redeemed nature hasn’t changed much. Burning spirits are still smothered by cool cash. We still need to hear Jesus’ words: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34 NIV).
That verse – and Wesley’s point #3 – are worth our consideration as we sit down with our checkbooks and budgets and financial reports this week. Where do I want my treasure to be? That’s where I need to invest – heavily - starting today.