The Laws of Generosity and Meanness in Life

Today's "Living Abundantly" discusses how one can live well. Observing those who live well, you will find a pattern: there are two types of people, the generous and the mean-spirited. Those who can take a loss and bear responsibility are generous; those who cannot take a loss and shirk responsibility are mean-spirited. Few mean people live well, but wanting to be generous does not mean acting recklessly. One must discern when to be generous and when not to be.

Mean People Do Not Live Well

When I was in university, everyone lived in dormitories with many people. Some dorms had harmonious interpersonal relationships, while others were tense. Beijing winters are very cold, below freezing. There was no hot water; we had to carry thermoses to fetch water, a five-minute walk. After fetching it, we would leave it and bring it back after self-study for washing up. Some people only carried one for themselves, some carried two for those they were close to, and some carried four. The students who carried only one often found their water gone. Classmates liked to mess with them. This is what a mean person is like. As the saying goes, "A child of three shows the man." Mean people do not live well! Being easily angered is also a form of meanness; getting upset over trivial matters.

Among us are people of different ages. Meanness is disadvantageous, so do not be mean. But if you continue to suffer losses, then so be it. Everyone has their own standards for judging things; the benevolent see benevolence, and the wise see wisdom. Generous people tend to suffer losses, but they look at the long term, while mean people look at immediate gains.

There is a management university in Singapore where students often spontaneously organize research projects. Some mean-spirited individuals fuss around, and no one wants them. Some people may not be very capable, but they are willing to contribute money and effort, so everyone likes to include them in projects. Relationships between people have value. I do not like taking advantage of others; I value interpersonal relationships, which have greatly helped me. Money and relationships are incomparable. Regardless of age, one must learn to discern. It is not that those people suffer losses, but their "calculations" are different. Therefore, I encourage everyone to discern. That mean-spirited classmate of ours will certainly not live well past fifty.

Generosity or Meanness is Influenced by Region

Some regions have different cultures and value systems. Some time ago, I ministered to a brother whose people were very mean. This brother said that your people are very generous and forthright, which I readily acknowledge.

Recently, I ministered to someone who stayed with me for a long time. She was a very mean person. Her good friend was very generous, and she owed her friend hundreds of thousands that she had not repaid. She even took a course on charity? And said, "I want to do charity!" I said, "Repay people's money first before doing charity." Then this person's response was interesting: "Is it that I cannot afford to repay it?" Her good friend said, "Then repay me." This person said, "Do you lack this money?" Whether mean or generous, do not ruin your brand. Each of us is a brand, building good and stable relationships with others. I once spoke about "stability," like an airplane needing stability. People are not only mean with money but also with face and relationships.

Later, I received an older sister, a relatively famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor, who earned a high monthly salary, but was very poor at such an old age. I paid for her food, drink, and accommodation. You will find that meanness is the source of poverty in one's bones. What kind of person one is determines what kind of problems one has. The older one gets, the harder it is to change.

It is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

The Choice Between Dedication and Blessing

Through this observation, we find that mean people do not live well. We can see this in relationships. If you are not mean with money but are mean in other matters, if people regard you as a mean person, your interpersonal relationships will be poor, and no one will want to associate with you.
The Christian faith is a faith of dedication. 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 said, "I want to give a testimony." When I heard it was all about what I received and what blessings I had, we speak of testimonies of service. The church is a group of people who willingly offer themselves to God; it is a path of dedication. This is called Mingding Doctrine! The Bible says to cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

Choose to Be a Generous Person

Start adjusting in all aspects, becoming a generous person, a dedicated person. But do not always treat people to meals; that is not good. Instead, build a generous relationship in relationships, learn to be shrewd, and it does not matter to take a loss. In the Bible, Isaac dug a well, and it was taken away. He dug another well, and it was taken away again. Isaac said, "Bless you with a well." Isaac was a person who willingly dedicated. In that place, there was a hundredfold harvest. So today, do we want to give or receive? This is our choice!

In marketing, do you understand the needs of others or your own needs? If you understand the needs of others, you will surely receive a lot from others. My team is really great; they are all willing to offer themselves to God and are never calculating. Sometimes, when everyone rents a house together and needs essential living items, everyone pools their money to buy and use them together. This greatly improves efficiency, rather than everyone buying and using their own.

From now on, constantly examine yourself in all aspects, no longer according to your own logic but according to the logic in the Bible. Jacob's wages were constantly changed by his uncle, but what does it matter? I encourage everyone to be filled with understanding and know what is worthwhile and what is not, to deal with the bad habits on your body one by one, to become a dedicated person, to become a giving person. May God bless everyone!

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