Save As Much as You Can | 10/18 Millbrook UMC Traditional Worship

Jesus’ warning about the rich fool puts saving in its right place. The man stores up for himself, but he is not rich toward God, and the question lands hard: “All the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Gold may look valuable on earth, but at heaven’s gate it is only pavement. King Tut’s treasures, a Corvette in a grave, and a Ferrari under the ground all say the same thing: possessions remain behind.

John Wesley’s rule to “save all you can” is not a command to pile up money. Wesley’s three simple rules belong together: earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can. Saving is the middle rule, not the finish line. Wealth becomes useful when it is turned toward the good of a neighbor and toward the work of God in the world.

John Wesley’s own life gives the pattern. His income grew, but his lifestyle did not grow with it. Wesley kept living simply so that he could give more and more away to the poor and to God’s work. Marion Bradford lived that same kind of simple life in Raleigh. His careful saving did not end in a bigger house, more stuff, or a name for himself. His gift to Millbrook became a place where children learn, people recover, neighbors are fed, students are mentored, and lives are changed.

Generosity does not happen by chance. Every good gift needs a plan, just as a body needs food, water, and exercise. The biblical tithe gives that plan a beginning point: the first fruits return to God. Abraham’s giving to Melchizedek and the long witness of Scripture show that giving comes first, not after every want has been met.

Consumer culture keeps saying, “Spend, spend, spend.” Easy payments, constant ads, and nonessential purchases make spending feel normal, but saving requires saying no to what is not needed. Freedom comes through this countercultural way of Jesus. The kingdom of God gives saving a purpose bigger than fear and bigger than money: hungry people are fed, blind eyes see, sin is forgiven, and love is shared. Being rich toward God means using what God has given for God’s good purposes.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Saving serves generosity, not accumulation. John Wesley’s middle rule refuses to let saving become its own god. Money held back from needless spending creates room for money to be released in love. The real question is not how much has been kept, but what that saving makes possible for the good of others. [32:19]
• 2. Earthly treasure cannot cross death. Gold bars, tomb artifacts, and luxury cars buried with their owners expose the foolishness of treating possessions as permanent. Death reveals how little control wealth finally gives. Richness toward God outlasts the things that decay, get looted, or sit forgotten beneath the earth. [29:39]
• 3. Simple living can fund holy work. Wesley’s choice to live on the same amount as his income grew gave his money a kingdom purpose. Marion Bradford’s quiet thrift later became ministry, hospitality, food, recovery, learning, and worship. A plain life can become a wide channel for God’s goodness. [33:28]
• 4. Giving needs a deliberate plan. Generosity rarely appears accidentally after every desire has been funded. The tithe names the first fruits as God’s, giving financial life a pattern before spending takes over. Careful planning turns good intentions into faithful action. [39:59]
• 5. The kingdom gives saving its purpose. Consumer culture trains desire to ask for more, but Jesus calls people into a freedom that money cannot buy. Saving becomes joyful when it helps feed the hungry, forgive sin, share love, and strengthen neighbors. God’s kingdom is bigger, deeper, and more wonderful than another purchase. [42:40]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:27] - Save All You Can
• [29:16] - You Cannot Take It With You
• [31:28] - Rich Toward God
• [32:19] - Wesley’s Three Rules for Money
• [33:07] - Wesley’s Pattern of Simple Living
• [34:30] - Marion Bradford’s Legacy
• [36:12] - Generosity at Work in the Church
• [37:15] - Giving for the Good of Neighbors
• [39:29] - A Plan for Every Good Gift
• [39:59] - The Tithe and First Fruits
• [40:54] - Resisting the Culture of Spending
• [42:17] - A God-Shaped Purpose

1. In Luke 12:20–21, what questions and warnings does Jesus give the person who has stored up wealth for himself? [31:50]
2. What examples show that people have tried to take possessions with them after death, and what happened to those possessions instead? [29:53]
3. What are John Wesley’s three rules for money, and where does saving fit among them? [32:08]
4. According to Genesis 14:20, what portion did Abram give after receiving God’s blessing through Melchizedek? [40:05]

1. Jesus contrasts storing up treasure for oneself with being “rich toward God.” What does that contrast suggest about the purpose God intends money and possessions to have? [32:24]
2. Why might saving become spiritually dangerous when it becomes an end in itself, rather than a way to give and serve neighbors?
3. John Wesley kept his lifestyle simple even when his income increased. How does this pattern challenge the common assumption that a higher income should always lead to a higher standard of living? [33:28]
4. Matthew 6:10 prays for God’s kingdom to come on earth as in heaven. How can planned generosity become one practical way that prayer is lived out in a community? [42:55]

1. What possessions, savings goals, or purchases can begin to feel like security apart from God? How might Jesus’ question—“whose will they be?”—help put those things in perspective? [28:11]
2. Where does consumer culture most strongly pressure you to spend: online shopping, advertising, convenience purchases, hobbies, eating out, or something else? What is one nonessential expense you could pause or reduce this month? [41:06]
3. Consider Wesley’s pattern of giving more when he earned more. If your income increased, what would make it difficult to keep your lifestyle from growing at the same rate? [33:40]
4. What would it look like for your household to make a clear plan for giving rather than waiting to see what is left after spending? Could a regular gift, a percentage, or a “give-save-spend” practice be a helpful next step? [39:29]
5. The tithe is described as a starting place that gives the first fruits back to God. What feelings arise when giving is considered first rather than last in a budget—fear, freedom, gratitude, resistance, or something else? [39:50]
6. Think about needs around you: hunger, recovery, children, education, loneliness, or ministry in the church. Which need especially stirs compassion in you, and how could saved resources help meet that need? [36:30]