Earn It, Keep It, Give It All Away?

Wisdom from John Wesley

Personal Finance Articles

Photo by Christine Roy on Unsplash

Studies have shown that, on average, it only takes about five or six years to actually become financially independent, at least in free and open countries, like America.

Not that this is your particular goal, but it is for many, so I just wanted to put that thought out there.

The question we should all ponder is this, “Since you are going to be living those years anyway (Lord willing), why not set that as a goal and then put a plan in place to achieve it and then trust God to guide you in what to do with it.”

In a sermon titled The Use of Money, John Wesley exhorted the Methodist believers to “Earn all you can, Keep all you can, and Give all you can. His point was not necessarily that earning and keeping money was evil. Indeed money is a major tool in the hands of the faithful to do the work of God.

No, his point in this sermon was that Christians were much more focused on earning and keeping what they earned vs. putting themselves into a position of being able to give much of it away. In other words, what we do with it is much more an indication of where our heart is.

Indeed money is a major tool in the hands of the faithful to do the work of God.

Paul addresses this whole issue in his first letter to Timothy. He concludes with this:

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. - 1Timothy 6:10

Notice that he did NOT say that money is the root of all evil. Keep in mind, that God owns everything, and that as a Christian, the only legitimate reason to have a goal to become “financially independent” is to be an even better steward of His wealth.

All Believers Are Called

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things. - Romans 10:15

Relatively speaking, only a few Christians are called to “go”. Most are called to send, support, and supply their needs so that they can stay where they are called to go and do what they are called to do without worry of having their own personal needs met.

In other words, their focus should be those they’re to go serve. Our focus should be them.

It’s like an army. The majority of military personnel are in some sort of information, logistical, medical, and supply support role to take care of comparitively few on the front lines who do the actual fighting.

Statistics show that too many Christians are so deeply ensconced in the “Trap of comfortable misery” that they cannot fulfill their calling. They are like putrid sponges that sit, sour, and soak while never being squeezed out.

There are a lot of utterly useless fools in the church today.

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:16-21

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I believe that those of us who are called to send, support, and supply those who “go’ should have two goals:

1. Do Well in order to Do Good -

Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

We cannot do good if we’re barely surviving. Unfortunately, most who are “barely surviving” are there because of their own doing - they either have no desire or motivation to improve their lives and circumstances or they squander the bounty that God blesses them with on their own lusts.

2. Minimize and prioritize our personal needs (this does not mean that God desires us to live in poverty or forgo the basic necessities for living well) so that we have more to give away.

Remember, further in that same chapter of 1Timothy, Paul states that God gives us richly all things to enjoy, but also that we are not to trust in riches because they are uncertain. (ref. 1Timothy 6:17)

This is the main reason, in my opinion, that so many missionaries are leaving their field and others are not bothering to replace them or even consider going. No one is willing to minimize their own financial footprint in order to maximize God’s to send them, support them, or supply their needs.

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So yes, earn all you can and keep all you can, but don’t forget that the goal of earning and keeping is to allow you to give all you can.

Hopefully, we can continue the discussion with ways to minimize our financial footprint in order to maximize God’s financial footprint. All without compromising our standard of living.

What are your thoughts?

Please share your comments?

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