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 discern a principle: 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 misers 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-spirited People Do Not Live Well

When I was in university, everyone lived in dormitory buildings with many people. Some dormitories had good, harmonious interpersonal relationships; others were tense. Beijing winters are very cold, below zero degrees Celsius. There was no hot water; one had to carry a thermos to fetch water, a five-minute walk. After fetching it, one would leave it and bring it back after self-study for washing. Some people only carried one for themselves, some carried two, one for themselves and one for a close friend, and some carried four. The student who carried only one often found his water gone. Classmates liked to tease him. This is a mean-spirited person. As the saying goes, "A child is father to the man." Mean-spirited 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 a disadvantage, so do not be mean-spirited. 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 are prone to taking losses, but they look at the long term, while mean-spirited people look at immediate gains.

A management university in Singapore has students who often spontaneously organize research projects. Some misers fuss around, and no one wants them. Some people are not very capable but are willing to contribute money and effort, so everyone likes to include them in their projects. Relationships between people have value. I do not like to take 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 miser from our school days 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 from a place where people are very mean-spirited. This brother said that people in your area 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-spirited person. Her good friend was very generous, and she owed her hundreds of thousands of dollars that she had not repaid. She even took a course on charity and said, "I want to do charity!" I said, "Repay your friend's money before doing charity." Her response was interesting: "Is it that I cannot afford to repay it?" Her friend said, "Then repay me." She replied, "Is it that you lack this money?" Whether one is mean-spirited or generous, do not ruin your brand. Each of us is a brand, building good, stable relationships with others. I have previously spoken about "stability." Just as an airplane must have stability, people are not only mean with money but also with face and relationships.

Later, I received an elderly sister, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine practitioner with a high monthly salary. However, she was very poor at such an old age. I paid for her food, drink, and accommodation. You will find that meanness is the root of poverty. 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-spirited 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 miser, your interpersonal relationships will suffer, and no one will want to associate with you.
The Christian faith is a faith of dedication. God gave His only 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 obtained, 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 constantly treat people to meals; that is not good. Instead, build generous relationships. Learn to be shrewd; it does not matter to take some losses. In the Bible, Isaac dug a well, and others seized it. He dug another well, and it was seized again. Isaac said, "Bless you and your well." Isaac was a willing giver. In that place, he had 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 much from them. My team is truly excellent; they are willing to offer themselves to God and are never petty. Sometimes, when everyone rents a house together and needs essential supplies, 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 uncle constantly changed his wages, but what did it matter? I encourage everyone to be full of understanding, knowing what is worthwhile and what is not, and to deal with the bad habits on your body one by one, becoming a dedicated person, a giving person. May God bless everyone!

null

null