Simplicity: John Wesley on Earning, Saving, Giving

John Wesley (d. 1791) preached his famous sermon "The Use of Money" with three rules: "Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can." Wesley practiced what he preached: as his income grew from book sales and speaking, he kept his personal expenses constant and gave away everything else. In his later years, he lived on 28 pounds a year while giving away thousands.

Wesley taught: "When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart." He saw accumulation as spiritually dangerous not because money is evil but because it tends to become an idol. Simplicity, for Wesley, meant not ascetic poverty but radical generosity.

Practical application: Apply Wesley's three rules this month. Gain: work diligently and honestly. Save: reduce one unnecessary expense. Give: increase your charitable giving by the amount saved. Wesley teaches that simplicity is not about having less but about giving more -- channeling resources from self to others with intentional joy.