“John Wesley is a good example of a mature steward. John Wesley was a very influential teacher on the topic of giving. To many he is known as a great preacher, but few are aware that he also made a substantial amount of money from preaching and the sale of his books, making him one of the wealthiest men in all of England. At a time when thirty pounds was enough for a single man to live comfortably, Wesley took in as much as 1,400 pounds! With such a high income he had the perfect opportunity to live in luxury, but Wesley refused the temptation and lived a life of incredible generosity.
When Wesley was at Oxford, an event happened that changed his perspective on giving forever. After putting some pictures on his walls that he had recently purchased, a cumbermaid came to his door in need of help to keep her warm. Unable to help because he had purchased the pictures, Wesley quickly realized that God was not pleased with the way he was spending his money. He asked himself the probing question, “Will thy Master say, ‘Well done, good and faithful steward?’ Thou hast adorned thy walls with money which might have screened this poor creature from the cold! O justice! O mercy! Are not these pictures the blood of this poor maid!”
John Wesley (1703-1791) in Mission Frontiers (Sept/Oct 1994: No. 9-10) 23-24, as cited by Wesley K. Willmer in God and Your Stuff (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002) 51.