John Wesley believed money was important as a way of expressing and living out Christian faith. To Wesley, the task was simple: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. In this essential little book, pastor and author James A. Harnish presents Wesley’s concepts and beliefs in plain, useful language, suitable for individuals to grapple with and groups to discuss and act upon. The four chapters of this book form the basis for a four-week churchwide stewardship program, along with the DVD, Leader Guide, Devotional Readings for Home, Youth Study Book, Children’s Leader Guide, and the Program Guide on flash drive. Everything needed to conduct a 4-week youth study for ages 13-18, as part of the churchwide stewardship program. The Youth Study Book includes participant content as well as leader helps. A 3-Step Stewardship Program from John Wesley James A. Harnish retired after 43 years of pastoral ministry in the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He was the founding pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Orlando and served for 22 years as the Senior Pastor of Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa. He is the author of A Disciple’s Heart: Growing in Love and Grace, Earn. Save. Give. Wesley’s Simple Rules for Money, and Make a Difference: Following Your Passion and Finding Your Place to Serve. He was a consulting editor for The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible and a contributor to The Wesley Study Bible. He and his wife, Martha, have two married daughters and five grandchildren in Florida and South Carolina. Earn. Save. Give. Youth Study Book By James A. Harnish Abingdon Press Copyright © 2015 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-63088-400-0 Contents Introduction: Get on the John Wesley Financial Plan, 1. We Don't Need More Money; We Need Wisdom, 2. Earn All You Can, 3. Save All You Can, 4. Give All You Can, Notes, CHAPTER 1 We Don't Need More Money; We Need Wisdom Happy are those who find wisdom and those who gain understanding. Her profit is better than silver, and her gain better than gold. —Proverbs 3:13-14 A Wise and Discerning Mind Do you remember the first time you were given money? Maybe you received a small weekly allowance; maybe you earned money for completing chores or getting good grades. What did you do with that money? Did you keep it, hoping that you'd soon be able to add to your total? Did you spend it right away on something you'd had your eye on? How did you decide what you'd do with your newly acquired wealth? Now think back to the first time you made a decision that you regretted involving money. Perhaps you emptied your piggy bank for something you didn't really need. Perhaps you purchased an item that turned out to be flimsy and was broken or useless within a few weeks. Perhaps you received a crisp $20 bill as a gift, and instead of saving it or using it to buy something nice, you spent it on little things like candy and soda. You may have heard the expression, "A fool and his money are soon parted." This saying, which originated in Dr. John Bridges' 1587 book, Defence of the Government of the Church of England in Ecclesiastical Matters, suggests a relationship between wisdom and financial well-being. It seems obvious that one who is wise will fare better financially than one who is foolish. But what, exactly, is wisdom? We often use wise as a synonym for smart, but wisdom is much more than knowledge or even intelligence. People who are wise are not only knowledgeable of what is right and true and just, but they also use good judgment and discernment. The Bible has plenty to say about wisdom. The Old Testament contains a collection of wisdom literature including the books of Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Proverbs. Most of the writing in these books is attributed to King Solomon, the son of King David and one of the rulers during ancient Israel's golden age—although many of the Bible's wise sayings likely had been passed down among the Hebrew people for centuries before that. First Kings 3 tells us that shortly after Solomon assumed the throne, God appeared to him in a dream and said, "Ask whatever you wish, and I'll give it to you" (1 Kings 3:5). Instead of asking for a great army, expanded territory, or anything else that may have been useful for a young ruler wanting to establish himself, Solomon asked for wisdom: "Please give your servant a discerning mind in order to govern your people and to distinguish good from evil" (1 Kings 3:9). We too should strive to have a wise and discerning mind in all that we do. Reverence, Humility, and, uh, Fear? As a species, we human beings are pretty clever. We've created, discovered, and accomplished so many amazing things that it's easy for us to get a big head and forget the source of our knowledge and creativity. Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; / don't rely on your own intelligence." This is not to say that w