The Principles of Living Generously and Living Pettily

Today’s Living Abundantly addresses a simple question: How can a person live well? Observe those who live well, and you will discover a pattern. There are two kinds of people: the generous and the petty. Those who can bear a loss and shoulder responsibility are generous people. Those who cannot bear a loss or shoulder responsibility are petty people. Few petty people live well. But if you want to live generously, you must not do so blindly. There is a time to be generous, and a time when you should not be.

Petty People Do Not Live Well

When I was at university, we all lived in dormitories along a common corridor. There were many people in each dormitory. Some dormitories had excellent relationships—harmonious and peaceful. Others were tense and unpleasant.

Beijing winters were bitterly cold, often more than ten degrees below zero. There was no hot water. We had to carry thermos flasks and walk five minutes to fetch hot water. After filling them, we would leave them there and carry them back after evening study, to wash up. Some people carried only one flask for themselves. Some carried two, one for themselves and one for a close friend. Some carried four. The student who carried only one often found that his hot water was gone. The others liked to play tricks on him. That is a petty person. You can see the old man in the child of three. Petty people do not live well. Being quick-tempered is also a form of pettiness—getting angry over every little matter.

Among us are people of different ages. Being petty brings loss. So do not be a petty person. If you insist on continuing to suffer loss, that is your own choice. Everyone has his own standard by which he judges things. The benevolent see benevolence; the wise see wisdom. Generous people may easily suffer loss, but those who suffer loss look to the long term. Petty people look only at the small immediate gain before them.

There is a management university in Singapore where students often organise research projects on their own initiative. Some petty people fussed about endlessly, and eventually no one wanted them. Others were not particularly capable, but they were willing to contribute money and effort. People liked having them in their projects. Relationships between people are a form of value. I do not like taking advantage of others. I place great value on human relationships, and these relationships have brought me much help. Money and relationships are not comparable. Whatever your age, learn to examine such matters carefully. It is not that those people are suffering losses; it is that the calculations in their hearts are different. So I encourage everyone to examine this carefully. That petty fellow from our school would certainly not be living well by the time he reached his fifties.

Generosity and Pettiness Are Also Shaped by Regional Influences

Different regions have different cultures and different value systems. Some time ago, I ministered to a brother. The people where he came from were very petty. He said, “The people where you are are very generous and straightforward.” I fully agree with that.

Some time ago, I also ministered to someone who stayed with me for a long time. She was an extremely petty person. Her good friend was a very generous person. She owed this friend several hundred thousand and had never repaid it. Then she attended some course on charity and said, “I want to do charity work!” I said, “First repay what you owe others, then go and do charity.” The conversation that followed was quite interesting. She said, “It is not as if I can repay it, is it?” Her friend said, “Then repay me.” She replied, “Do you lack this money or something?”

Whether you are petty or generous, do not destroy your own reputation. Every one of us is a brand. We must build good and stable relationships with others. I have spoken before about “stability.” Just as an aircraft must have stability, people can be petty not only with money, but also with face and with relationships.

Later, I received an elderly sister, a relatively well-known practitioner of Chinese medicine. Her monthly income was high, yet at such an age she was very poor. I paid for her food, drink, and lodging. You will find that pettiness at the core is the source of poverty. What kind of person you are determines the kind of problems you will have. The older a person gets, the harder it is for him to change.

It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

The Choice Between Giving and Blessing

From this observation, we see that petty people do not live well. We can see it in relationships. You may not be petty with money, but if you are petty in other matters, and others regard you as a petty person, your relationships will not be good. No one will want to deal with you.

The Christian faith is a faith of giving. God gave His only begotten Son to us. It is more blessed to give than to receive. Those who give are more blessed than those who receive.

Someone once said, “I want to give a testimony.” But when I listened, it was all about what he had received and what blessings he had obtained. Our testimonies are about serving. The church is a group of people who willingly lay themselves down for God. It is a path of giving. This is Mingding Doctrine. The Bible says that if you cast your bread upon the waters, you will find it after many days.

Choose to Be a Generous Person

Begin to adjust yourself in every area. Become a generous person, a giving person. But do not simply go around treating people to meals every day. That is not the point. Rather, build generous relationships. Learn to be shrewd. It does not matter if you suffer a little loss.

Isaac, in the Bible, dug a well and others seized it. He dug another well, and again it was seized. Isaac said, in effect, “I bless you with that well.” Isaac was willing to give. In that place, he received a hundredfold harvest. So today, do we choose to give or to gain? This is our choice.

In marketing, do you seek to understand other people’s needs, or only your own needs? If you understand the needs of others, you will certainly gain much from them. My team is truly excellent. Everyone is willing to lay down their lives for God. No one is constantly calculating every small gain and loss. At times, when we rent a place together and need daily necessities, everyone contributes money, buys them together, and uses them together. This greatly improves efficiency, instead of everyone buying separately and using things separately.

From now on, examine yourselves continually in every area. Do not follow your own logic, but the logic of the Bible. Jacob’s wages were repeatedly changed by his uncle, but what did it matter? I encourage everyone to understand fully, in your mind, what is profitable and what is not. Deal with your bad habits one by one. Become a giving person. Become one who contributes. May God bless you all!

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