Save All You Can

John Wesley:
“Earn all you can; Save all you can; Give all you can”
This week: SAVE ALL YOU CAN…
“1. Having gained all you can, by honest wisdom and unwearied diligence, the second rule of Christian prudence is," Save all you can." Do not throw the precious talent into the sea: Leave that folly to heathen philosophers. Do not throw it away in idle expenses, which is just the same as throwing it into the sea. Expend no part of it merely to gratify the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life.” –(John Wesley, Sermon #50 – “The Use of Money”)
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Simple Gifts (Joseph Brackett, 1797-1882)
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight
'Till by turning, turning we come round right.
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By “Save all you can”, John Wesley did not mean “hoard all you can.” He didn’t mean stick a bunch away in as many savings accounts as possible.
What he meant by "Save all you can" was be careful in spending... be frugal. Be careful in your spending and simple in your living.
John Wesley meant that when you consider your needs, save all that you can to share with those in need.
For Wesley, “save all you can” was his his 18th century way of interpreting the ancient Jewish law requiring farmers to leave gleanings. Look at Leviticus Chapter 19:10 to understand this….. It talks about leaving some of the harvest in the field for those who are poor or in need. It was one of the Biblical laws of the Hebrews to always provide for others out of what you had. You were not to take in all your crops – you left some of the harvest in the field for those in need to come and take.
It was a way to “SAVE” and give to those who were poor, hungry, and outcast.
John Wesley’s understanding was that the larger your harvest, the more gleanings you should leave for others.
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In another of his sermons called “On the Danger of Increasing Riches,” Wesley said,
“Who gave you this addition to your fortune; or (to speak properly) lent it to you? To speak more properly still, who lodged it for a time in your hands as his stewards? …And can you afford to waste your Lord’s goods…?”
What has been “lodged in our hands” that we might be good stewards of it?
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Why should Christians be so thrifty? For Wesley it is so we can give, SO, we can give to others what we’ve SAVED! A worthy goal for us too.
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And for another take on this idea of simplicity:
From Richard Foster’s ‘Ten controlling principles for the outward expression of simplicity’, from his book The Celebration of Discipline:
1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you (undisciplined compulsions).
3. Develop a habit of giving things away (especially if addicted--De-accumulate!).
4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry (timesaving devices rarely save time…)
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.
7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes.
8. Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech.
9. Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others (sweatshops?).
10. Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the Kingdom of God.
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And interesting (and related) clip that rings too true in our day and time: http://www.hulu.com/watch/1389/saturday-night-live-dont-buy-stuff (or Click on the PIG on the left)