I just love this: “Earn all you can; save all you can; give all you can.”
For how can you most help those in need than by being successful yourself in the first place?
Thankfully, the significance of maximizing wealth generation to help the poor is hardly restricted to the Byzantine Church. It was eloquently proclaimed by the founder of the Methodist Church. John Wesley – who was deeply influenced by, and even translated, the Greek Fathers into English – instructed his flock, “Having first gained all you can, and secondly saved all you can, then give all you can.” (This is often shortened to the formula: “Earn all you can; save all you can; give all you can.”)
There are two sides to this coin about personal finance and charity, right?
The first is being ok with the sovereignty of God.
And this then this earn, save, give is the practical part.
Funny the split between Judaism and Christianity on this issue, but maybe that’s for another post.