Introduction

In this life, whether you like it or not, we all have a responsibility. However, for some, their responsibility grows as they live, while for others, it diminishes. I once knew a brother who was a class monitor in his childhood, but eventually, he was removed from the position. Later, he became a manager at work, but he was also removed from that role. This brother felt that everything he did was becoming smaller and smaller.

Before Numbers chapter 36, the focus was on winning battles, acquiring land, and then allocating it by lot—land that was hard-earned. However, the key question is: even if the land is divided and given to you, can you manage it well? If you cannot manage it, what is the use of acquiring it? If you inherit a family business and run it into the ground, your ancestors would be saddened in their graves. Why does this happen? Because you cannot manage it. Where does management come from? Let us see what God says in the Bible.

We read the Bible to be filled with the knowledge of God in our understanding. In Genesis, God created Adam and Eve and commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, and govern the earth, managing the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. God entrusted the entire Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve to manage, giving them a very large estate. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve sinned before they could be fruitful and multiply, losing the entire earth.

God's original intention for Adam and Eve still exists today, which is for us to manage the earth, because we all bear God's glorious image. God's glory is manifested in the process of your management, because in management you must learn to create, innovate, and do new things, organizing matters neatly and according to their kinds, restoring the attributes of God.

Many Christians are superstitious about the idea that believing in Jesus is for going to heaven after death. This statement gives me a feeling that is both wonderful and dangerous. After carefully examining the Bible, I found that the most important thing about believing in Jesus is not going to heaven, but entering into complete unity with God.

Dare to Question

Management is indeed very important. This chapter of the Bible deals with matters related to management, which is related to responsibility and authority—your territory. Today, we will share on the topic of “Managing Your Inheritance Well.” One characteristic of management is: dare to question, do not feign understanding.

Now the family heads of the clans of the descendants of Gilead son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, came and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the families of the Israelites. They said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot. My lord was also commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. Now if they marry one of the men from another tribe of Israel, their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. So part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. When the Year of Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be completely taken from the tribal inheritance of our ancestors. (Numbers 36:1-4)

From these verses, we see that the matter of women receiving inheritance caused considerable confusion among the men. According to Israeli custom, women did not have the right to inherit property. But here, Zelophehad's daughters broke the traditional custom and received an inheritance. Because Zelophehad's daughters dared to question Moses, they received the inheritance. In any era, not having an inheritance is not a good thing. Here, we must learn a lesson: we must not only dare to question, but also know how to ask good questions.

Zelophehad's daughters raised questions about managing the inheritance, asking good questions. Foreign children often ask questions, but Chinese children often keep silent, which is a problem in Chinese education. Therefore, I encourage everyone to learn to ask questions, and to ask good questions, instead of keeping silent.

A few days ago, I visited a renovation site and saw an electrical wire at the threshold, making it impossible to install the door. The worst part was that the brothers and sisters in charge of the renovation saw the problem but kept silent and did not ask. I asked, Why didn't you say anything? The reply was, I don't know why I didn't say anything. If you don't ask questions and the electrical wire is installed under the door, what will you do? Today, we must know that if something seems problematic, ask more questions, such as, This is a doorway, why is there an electrical wire? Not asking questions is a bad habit.

In managing the inheritance that God has given, those who can ask questions are capable people. Asking good questions is a very important concept in management. Let me test you, brothers and sisters: what is your problem? If you don't know, how will you grow? Your problem is your point of growth.

For example, the leaders of China must constantly think about how the country's economy should grow. The old economic growth points can no longer be used. Therefore, in recent years, China has been implementing supply-side reform because the reform of the consumption side is nearly complete. There are also issues such as urbanization and urban clusters. What will people need in the future? How should talent be cultivated? There are many questions to ask.

We need to be concerned about what to do if a child is diagnosed with autism or learning disabilities. You cannot say that our school focuses on enrollment rates and we will not take care of this child. Today, we ask the question, how should this be solved? I like to tackle such tough problems. Solving them is managing the inheritance God has given you well.

Present each problem carefully, find the key to solving it, and those problems will become your valuable assets, our intellectual property. What does the market need? Where can I grow? What skills do I need? What will I do in the future? These are all good questions! The children of Manasseh and Zelophehad were truly remarkable. Don't ask questions that are unrefined, sounding crude and low-class. To manage your inheritance well, the first point is to dare to question.

Be Clear That Your Inheritance Must Not Decrease

The second characteristic of management: be clear that your inheritance must not decrease. God favors those who have a sense of divine dissatisfaction in their hearts. The inheritance God gives you must not only not decrease, but also expand. Know that our God delights in expansion and dislikes reduction; can only advance and cannot retreat; can only grow and cannot decline, because prosperity is God's will.

Jesus said: Give one person a thousand taels of silver, another two thousand, and another five thousand, and go and do business. Later, the one who received two thousand taels earned another two thousand, and Jesus said: Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your master. The one who received five thousand taels also earned another five thousand, and Jesus said the same. The one who received one thousand did nothing with it, and still had only one thousand, and was severely reprimanded by God. The master does not like such people.

Our God loves expansion, our God likes to do business, because there is a return. Ask yourself today, what have you expanded in the past six months? What have you grown? But also know that sometimes a person's growth is like a child's growth: they eat a lot but don't seem to grow, but suddenly they grow five or ten centimeters in a short period.

Sometimes, a person's growth requires groundwork and accumulation. In any case, we must be clear that people must constantly grow in life, and our inheritance must not only not decrease, but also learn to expand. You must know that God will add to all who have this sense of divine dissatisfaction.

One characteristic in my mind is that if I don't do something new every six months, I feel itchy. Later, I discovered that I love to innovate all my life; I like to manifest God's glory. Some people don't like to grow, and they are negative when they see others expanding, which is troublesome.

Everyone must have the mindset that your inheritance cannot decrease. If it cannot decrease, you must manage it well. How to manage it? Take it and invest it, don't always hide it in your hands. The older generation liked to tie up money and bury it in the ground. After a few years, when they dug it up, it hadn't rotted, but it couldn't buy much anymore because they didn't know how to invest and manage their finances.

Today, we must have the concept of investment and financial management. Stingy people will not invest and manage their finances; stingy people dare not invest in anything. The investment we are talking about is not only in property; you can invest in your own growth, can't you? Don't just save money like the older generation. Thirty years ago in China, ten thousand yuan was a lot of money. In those days, twenty thousand yuan could buy a house in my hometown, let alone two hundred thousand. If you invested two hundred thousand in property, you could get 6 million in compensation if it was relocated today. So investment and financial management are very important.

Some people say, I don't invest in that. I want to invest in myself. That's also good. One's own growth is also an inheritance, isn't it? If you used to earn a thousand yuan a month, and after growth, you earn ten thousand yuan a month, and after a while, your monthly salary rises to one hundred thousand, or even one million, because the work you do can create value!

Some people do things until they have no responsibility left, because they are poor inside! They don't invest; they are just sitting there, eating their capital, which is so stupid. Starting today, we must all invest in our growth. Think carefully about whether my responsibility, my territory, my inheritance is decreasing? What can I do to expand? If you want to live a wonderful life, start expanding yourself today.

But don't forget the foundation after hearing what I said. The foundation is the love for God! The best growth is shepherding God's sheep. When you shepherd God's sheep, you will definitely grow. If you don't understand something today, ask questions; if you don't understand something tomorrow, ask questions again. One day you will understand shepherding thoroughly. If you can make others grow, how can you not grow? This is the second point.

The Importance of Dao in Management

The third characteristic of management: Good management must have Dao. What is Dao? In the fifth section, Moses, according to the words of Jehovah, instructed the Israelites, saying: The tribe of Joseph is right. If what you do is without reason, how can it have Dao? I have seen people who lack Dao, and they struggle to solve problems. For example, if an adult beats a child and, when asked Why did you beat him? cannot explain, the child will feel you are being unreasonable and look down on you. Because you lack Dao, the child gets annoyed when you speak.

Whether we are shepherding God's sheep or teaching our own children, management must have Dao. Management without Dao is deadly. Therefore, people later formed the concept of scientific management, initially to improve productivity.

For example, Ford Motor Company greatly improved its production line through enterprise management. Early capitalists, in the days of Marx and Engels, managed workers by whipping them, lacking Dao. Later, they found this approach didn't work. The proletariat united to overthrow the capitalists.

After new political systems were established, capitalists became smarter. They realized they couldn't use whips anymore, and the middle class emerged. People found that the middle class is a solid foundation for a country and a regime because they need to live their lives and don't like to cause trouble. In the process of management, capitalists realized they couldn't be without Dao, so they invented scientific management and later humanized management. Why?

Because you find that factory workers work with their hands, which can be quantified. But scientists and researchers work with their brains, which is hard to quantify. What to do? That requires humanized management, making enterprise management more and more humanized. Therefore, in many countries like Europe and America, factory workers still live quite well.

I learned a saying from a young age: Those who gain Dao receive much help; those who lose Dao receive little help. Your generation doesn't listen to this anymore. What does it mean? People with Dao will have many followers, while those without Dao will have few, which is troublesome. Therefore, everything must have Dao.

What is Moses talking about here? He is saying it is reasonable. Why? Because if these women marry out, our ancestral property will decrease. If women from every tribe inherit property and then marry from one tribe to another, the whole of Israel will be in chaos. It would be unclear which part belongs to which tribe. Is it not deadly if the boundaries of property become unclear? So, a very important characteristic of management is each according to its kind. Chaos is troublesome, and their question is well-reasoned.

Therefore, God made an arrangement: If your daughter does not inherit property, she can marry wherever she wants; but if she inherits property, she cannot do whatever she wants and cannot marry randomly. She must marry someone from her own tribe. This is a person's Dao. What am I saying? I am saying that if you inherit property and manage the property you have obtained, you must have Dao.

For example, in managing children, their education must have Dao. Without Dao, you cannot manage them. Some time ago, a mother brought a child to see me. I said: How did you manage to raise your child like this? The child had bruises all over his face. The mother said the child was naughty, didn't listen, and got hurt himself. Alas, disciplining children must also have Dao for them to listen to you.

Later, when the mother left, I gave her a stick, a wooden strip left over from my renovation. I said: Take this stick. Why? Because when this child sees it, he will see me, specially for managing him. The child looked at me with fear because I would beat him. But there is Dao even in beating; I don't beat randomly, right? Actually, constant beating is not the solution; the key is to have Dao. With Dao, they will be convinced, right? In China, there are terms like tiger mom and wolf dad, referring to very strict parenting, but even tiger moms have their Dao.

What is Dao? It's about allowing people to ask questions. Some people, when asked, you say they are not submissive. Then, they won't dare to ask next time. As a leader, you must have Dao and distinguish whether the question is good or bad. If it's a good question, take it and study it. I have a characteristic: If you ask me something I don't know, I will tell you I haven't figured it out.

For example, someone asked me, what is heaven like? I said, we haven't been there, brother. Have you? He said he hadn't either, suggesting we go take a look one day. I said, if we go look, we might not come back. And we can't just enter; what if we don't have a ticket for the gate? What is hell like? We haven't been there either. If we haven't been there, we haven't been there because it is like some Chinese Mingding Destiny. Don't make it up, pretending you've been there and speaking with certainty. People with a little Dao will feel uncomfortable. Right? You can't lie.

What is Dao? It means things have an order of priority. For example, a woman's marriage is a problem. Is it okay for a woman to inherit property? Yes! What if a woman both marries and inherits property? That's another problem. Which priority comes first? If a woman's marriage is more important and inheriting property is secondary, then if she marries, the property follows her. If inheriting property is the priority, then the land belongs to the tribe of Manasseh, and if she marries into another tribe, the property is lost. So, some people sacrifice property for love; there's always something like that.

So, a woman's marriage is a problem, and a woman's inheritance of property is also a problem. It's like many things we talk about today; you can't be arbitrary. Some people, as they believe, don't allow others to ask questions. If you ask questions, aren't you making it difficult for me? So, in our shepherding, we must be open and allow people to ask questions. Don't push their questions back; pushing them back is troublesome. They ferment when hidden in the stomach, brewing into bitterness. When you find out, won't your heart turn cold? Some questions are good; we answer them well. For bad questions, help the person asking see the essence of the question and then resolve it. Having Dao is very important, so The Art of War considers Dao the most important element for victory in war.

If you have children at home, you need to master Dao even more. Without Dao, you're always miserable, worrying today and worrying tomorrow. Teachers send messages and make calls to worry you to death, saying your child is not doing well, your child is like this and that. Teachers who do this lack Dao.

There is Always a Solution to Every Problem

The fourth characteristic of management: Believe that there is always a solution to every problem. This is faith. A woman wants to marry, and a woman wants to inherit property. What to do? It's simple: If you want to marry, marry someone from your own clan. Cases are formed, precedents are formed, statutes are formed, and through this, God's will is understood. God's will cannot tolerate chaos. Our God has order, not only Dao but also order. So, brothers and sisters, when you encounter problems, seek God. In our God, there is no problem that cannot be solved. How wonderful! Trust God well and seek well, and you will always find a solution.

Do you know what I've been enjoying lately? I'm starting to get obsessed with education. There's a force in my heart pushing me to do education. Do I have the qualifications? I think I have some. What is the essence of education? It's a tough issue. The education of today really needs careful grinding, and the parents of our children need to carefully grind it over. Your generation in your thirties may not have heard about it much, but my generation learned Chairman Mao's quotations every day: The education system should be shortened, and education should be revolutionized. That's well said. Now, someone will ask: Aren't we checking the Bible? Why are we going off-topic talking about Mao's quotations?

Brothers and sisters, checking the Bible doesn't mean we can negate what others say. I myself agree with it. Chairman Mao was amazing; he really understood some things very clearly. What he said was right, but his implementation of it had deviations; that's another matter.

Summary

Today, let's make a summary. Can you take on your responsibility and not let your property keep shrinking, but keep expanding it? Let your responsibilities become more and more and greater and greater, and constantly master God's Dao, God's order, God's laws, decrees, and commandments, and know God's good will in your life.

God's good will in your life cannot be abandoned. God needs you to see through everything in life because when you see through it, the pressure is less. It's not that with less pressure you go sightseeing and travel the world; it's not these things. It's about starting to take on responsibilities, constantly improving your own vision, constantly improving your own management skills, constantly pursuing God's word, expanding your borders, and then manifesting God's glory.

May God bless everyone!