18th century British evangelist John Wesley is the inspiration for this post. I first learned about how Wesley capped his own standard of living from David Platt’s book “Radical”: “He identified a modest level of expenses that he was going to live on every year. The first year his income surpassed that level by a small amount, and he gave that excess away.
The next year his income increased, but he kept his standard of living the same, so he had more to give away. This continued year after year. At one point Wesley was making the equivalent of about $160,000 a year in today’s terms, but he was living as if he were making $20,000 a year. As a result he had the equivalent of more than $140,000 to give away that year.”
I am convinced that as long as we believers allow our standards of living to perpetually creep upward, we will never experience the spiritual vitality God has in store for us. I have therefore listed some reasons we should cap our standards of living.
8 Reasons For Capping Standards of Living
1. We will be better givers.
If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? 1 John 3:17
The more we keep for ourselves, the less we can give to others. This verse pointedly tells us that when we live so well that we have nothing left over to help a brother or sister in need, God’s love is not in us. The long term benefit of capping that standard of living is that year after year we will be better and better equipped to show that compassion.
2. We will never be concerned about tithing again.
Do you ever get tired of the “to tithe or not to tithe” debates so prevalent in Christian circles? I doubt if tithing was an issue with John Wesley when he was giving away nearly 90% of his income. It won’t be with you either, because you will find yourself asking “how much can I give?” instead of “how much can I spare?”
3. We will get out of debt.
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8
When every penny is crucial, we will purge debt from our lives. Why? Reason one is we can’t afford to be paying out money to lenders, but reason two is the really good news: we will be so intent on giving that the thought of borrowing money will never enter our minds.
4. We will learn diligence.
Know well the face of your flocks; and pay attention to your herds. Proverbs 27:3
When you commit to living on the same budget year in and year out, we will, as this verse admonishes us, pay attention to every detail of our finances.
5. We will develop a deep trust in God.
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. Hebrews 13:5
How many Americans truly look to God for their daily provisions? Probably not very many. But as we learn to be satisfied with what we have, we will simultaneously be learning to trust in God. Obviously, that is a good thing because He promises to never fail us or abandon us.
6. We will learn contentment.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 1 Timothy 6: 7-9
Isn’t the bible totally counter-intuitive to our 21st century mindset? While we think, “more and more wealth is the path to the good life,” the bible tells us we should be content with food and clothing. Why is this true? Because true contentment is based on a relationship with God, not chasing the almighty dollar. As we learn to maintain the same standard of living, we will discover a deep contentment.
7. We will purge materialism from our lives.
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6: 10
Although loving money is just as much a temptation for the poor as it is for the wealthy, a great antidote is to intentionally live on a fixed income. It is difficult to love money and give it away at the same time.
8. We will be better role models for our children.
If we are always striving for that bigger house and newer car, our children are learning a self centered lifestyle. On the other hand, if we are content with little while constantly seeking ways to bless others, our kiddos will learn the values of integrity, a generosity and a heart toward God. Which do you want for your children?
One more thought: Please understand that nowhere in this post did I ever hint that we should NOT strive to earn a lot of money. John Wesley, after capping his standard of living, proceeded to earn well into the six figure range (in today’s dollars). His motives were simple: the more he earned, the more he could give away.
I hope we can learn that same lesson.
Readers: Do you have a plan to cap your standard of living? How is it working?
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Joe,
I think it’s great to cap off standard of living; not sure we’re there yet. Crazy how John Wesley (a minister) made so much money and gave so much away. I’d love to earn a ton in order to give a ton away!
I love the idea of making more and more money in order to be able to give more away. God will reward the generous and those who invest well in order to be more generous. Just look at Jesus’ parables…they give us great insight on how to live financially. Great insight Joe
Yes, getting to the point of contentment and less materialism is key. I am a completely different person today compared to 10 years ago in both of these areas. God is continuing to work on me.
Great article!! Some things like location have a bigger impact than we realize. I moved back to California after grad school in Pittsburgh PA. Back in 1998, a house there was about $75,000 while about $250,000 in SoCal. As housing prices skyrocketed, I know so many friends who have left CA to be closer to family and have a lower cost of living, but our family is here, so we’d lose proximity to aging parents with failing health and have to build in travel expenses. Some corners are very very difficult to cut.
Joe,
My wife and I decided to do this several years ago. It has been such a blessing. If God should provide financial blessings beyond what you expect at least you know what you’ve predetermined to do with the funds. Most of us do the same with kids – we dedicate them to the Lord. Why not do the same with any future funds that God may or may not provide.
Thanks for the post.
This was a great reminder! I am looking forward to putting this into action!
Just out of curiosity, where do you gather the biblical authority to make such a claim. Many, throughout the Bible had extravagant wealth, and no where does God denounce them. In fact, David, “a man after God’s own heart” was the ancient equivalent of a billionaire, yet we don’t see God telling him to give it all away. So, by binding man’s heart where God has not, you’re embarking down the dangerous road of legalism. God commands we tithe, and that we love him with our whole being. So, if we pull in a million bucks a year, give 100k of it to the church, and wisely spend/save the rest, who are you to say that individual is in the wrong?
Cato, I don’t think Joe necessarily meant we are required to give it all away, I think he meant it as a healthy challenge. John Wesley was used as an example of someone who chose to give a lot. That should challenge us to give more than we’re currently giving.
I agree, and wasn’t trying to suggest we were being told to “give it all away”, however, I was merely trying to play devil’s advocate, and address some of the dissonant statements made throughout the piece. Mr. Plemon states early in the article:
“I am convinced that as long as we believers allow our standards of living to perpetually creep upward, we will never experience the spiritual vitality God has in store for us.”
To me, an inverse connection is being made to an increasing standard of living and one’s spiritual health. I don’t find this statement to be particularly biblical. And, while I’m sure Mr. Plemon did not intend this, it almost seems like the antithesis to the health and wealth “gospel”. The more successful you are, the less of a relationship you have with God.
Lastly, in what seems, to me at least, as an attempt to counter this trend, Mr. Plemon states in the final paragraph that “[striving] to earn a lot of money” is not bad, and perhaps even noble. Again, while I understand the point he’s trying to make, his language clouds the issue, and is what I was hoping to address in my first comment. The idea of “striving” or struggling after more and more wealth is counter to biblical themes on wealth, and it is this attitude that should have been more clearly addressed in this post, rather than an incidental increase in one’s standard of living.
Admitting that we are horrible at putting a cap on our spending would be the first step to doing exactly that. We’ve made it a bit easier by keeping each other accountable and making our goals public. Talking about living within our means keeps us motivated to walk our talk.
Living below your means is a fundamental law of financial freedom. Joseph prepared Egypt for the famine years through saving 20%. When you cap your standard of living, you have more to give, save, invest and make money work for you rather than become a slave to money. Great post
I’d like to just make it to a point where I actually make enough money to pay for my basic bills (rent, food) on my own without someone else’s charity. Being super-poor for decades due to low earning power (and NOT bad spending habits) is just depressing. It’s even worse when you’re poor, and you constantly hear other Christians preach about tithing, and you can barely spare anything, and you feel like you’re being guilted into giving money you don’t even have, or that you need for basic survival.
I’d be curious to know whether John Wesley was caring for a growing family when he made his decision to cap his income at a certain level. I think there is a difference between increasing one’s standard of living, and spending more money. We have a lot of children (#8 is on the way) and wow, every year the food expenses go up, the homeschool expenses go up, we’re going to need to pay for orthodontia and college, etc. I do agree with the general idea that we shouldn’t just keep trying to get more, more, more stuff. But realistically, if we tried to keep our expenses the same from year to year, it would be quite a struggle. I’m thankful my husband’s job does keep earning more…
I thank each of you for your thoughtful comments and I apologize for not responding sooner. I have been out of country (with no internet access) for the past week and am just now getting caught up. My intention in writing this post was to challenge and inspire, not to promote any legalism or guilt about capping or not capping one’s standard of living. Several of you brought up very real personal examples of how doing so can be quite difficult. These examples succinctly demonstrate that all of us are at different places in life and that personal finance, including Christian personal finance, is indeed — well — personal. My hope therefore is that you will consider your own situation as you decide whether you should cap your standard of living, at what time in your life you should cap your standard of living and at what level you should cap your standard of living.