John Wesley had a great theology of money and spending.
I remember quite a few things from Wesley's life that I learned about in Randy Alcorn's book Money, Possessions, and Eternity. Here are some:
- His philosophy was: “Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Notice how he did not even mention spending...
- A distraught man furiously rode his horse up to John Wesley, shouting, “Mr. Wesley, Mr. Wesley, something terrible has happened. Your house has burned to the ground!” Weighing the news for a moment, Wesley replied, “No. The Lord’s house burned to the ground. That means one less responsibility for me.”
- Wesley had four questions he would ask himself before making a purchase. [I keep a copy of these with me in my billfold. They are powerful.]
- In spending this money am I acting as if I owned it, or am I acting as the Lord’s trustee?
- What Scripture passage requires me to spend this money in this way?
- Can I offer up this purchase as a sacrifice to the Lord?
- Will God reward me for this expenditure at the resurrection of the just?
