Stewardship Reflections

With the beginning of autumn, many churches offer sermons or even a series of sermons on stewardship and the handling of money, especially as we begin to put together church budgets for the upcoming year. At Lancaster First, we will focus on this important spiritual topic of stewardship in early November.

John Wesley, the 18th century founder of Methodism, preached, taught, and wrote on the topic of stewardship extensively. Below is one of his famous teachings on the topic of money. This three-part summary is an easy way for us to remember what it means to be good stewards of all that God has given us.

Gain All You Can. However, do this without hurting your neighbor. We cannot ruin our neighbor's trade to advance our own.

Save All You Can. Do not throw precious money and talent away in idle expenses, which is the same as throwing it into the sea.

Give All You Can. First, provide things needed for yourself, your wife, children, and any others who are part of your household including whatever is moderately required to maintain health and strength. If you have a surplus, then "do good to them that are part of the household of faith." If there is still a surplus, "as you have opportunity, do good unto all men."

Instead of trusting riches, Wesley encourages us to “trust in the living God; then we will be safe under the shadow of the Almighty; his faithfulness and truth shall be our shield and buckler.”
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