Live Simple

Today's sermon was built on giving. John Wesley talked about giving when he (supposedly) said:
"Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can."

He encouraged us to do more for Christ. It seems weird that by doing good to others we are doing more for Christ, but Christ tells us in Matthew 25, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."

In Sermon 50, "The Use of Money," Wesley gives us some practical advise in how to live in a giving way. "Having, First, gained all you can, and, Secondly saved all you can, Then give all you can." Wesley qualified this by explaining what each, seemingly simple, step meant.

First, Gain all you can. We should earn what we can as long as what we are doing isn't harmful to our health , isn't harm to our families, and doesn't hurt others. There is nothing sinful about money, it is OK to earn and have it.

Second, Save all you can. We should live simply in order to free up money to give. It is a Christian ideal to live a simple life. We see the apostles lived simple lives. We see this as recorded in Acts 2, "42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." They sold all they had and gave to all who were in need. They saved all they could by living simple lives. This is not something that we do easily as Americans. We lack for nothing but want for much. The pastor gave an interesting observation of America when he said that it is said that necessity is the mother of invention, but in the US, invention is the mother of necessity. Take a look at a SkyMall magazine. Who on earth would need that stuff? I have never gotten up in the morning, looked in my closet, and thought "if only I had an electric tie rack." I've never taken a dog on a walk and thought "if only I had a stroller to put this dog in." Invention has become the mother of necessity.



We need to learn to live on enough. What do we need to survive? Do I need a big screen TV to survive? Am I even happy with having a small TV? Can I survive, or perhaps even do better, without having a TV? What about eating out? Can I survive not eating out? Might I be even better not eating out and instead eating at home? Would it be cheaper, healthier, and a better way to spend time? Many of the ways we spend our money are wasteful in that they do not make things better for us. Can I do without going to see a movie? Do I have to buy a new music CD every few weeks? Can I still live without staying in nice hotels when I travel? Many of the ways we spend money can be sacrificed. But there is a reason behind these sacrifices.

Third, Give all you can. By saving all the money we can, we can then give it where it is needed. On his radio show, Dave Ramsey says that the last step of his financial program is to make a bunch of money and give it all away. Waite Phillips once said that the only things we truly keep are the things we give away. The followers of Christ made sure that everyone had what they needed. When we give, not just money but our time and abilities, we need to do so with a certain attitude. Paul addresses this in 2nd Corinthians 9 when he writes"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." It is important that we spend time in prayer to know what it is that we should give and then give so out of our love.