A Ticket to Wake Up

Bragging aside, I believe that I am a very generous person and I thank my beloved mother for setting a good example. Oftentimes I actually think I'm being too generous (especially to loved ones) that I get to be tagged as mayabang. That's fine with me, cause I know that I just really like to share. A friend sent me this email a few months ago. This is like a newsletter and originally from Bo Sanchez. 

I haven't tithed yet, but I do know where all my blessings came from. I'm planning to start now. Tips, well, I have been doing that my whole life.

Please take time to read this.

The Story Of A Generous Business Partner

One day, a very wealthy man was walking on the road. Along the way, he saw a beggar on the sidewalk.

       The rich man looks kindly on the beggar and asked, “How did you become a beggar?”

       The beggar said, “Sir, I’ve been applying for a job for a year now but haven’t found any. You look like a rich man. Sir, if you’ll give me a job, I’ll stop begging.”

       The rich man smiled and said, “I want to help you. But I won’t give you a job. I’ll do something better. I want you to be my business partner. Let’s start a business together.”

       The beggar blinked hard. He didn’t understand what the older man was saying. “What do you mean, Sir?”

       “I own a rice plantation. You could sell my rice in the market. I’ll provide you the sacks of rice. I’ll pay the rent for the market stall. I’ll even give you food allowance everyday for the next 30 days. All you’ll have to do is sell my rice. And at the end of the month, as Business Partners, we’ll share in the profits.”

       Tears of joy rolled down his cheeks. “Oh Sir,” he said, “you’re a gift from Heaven. You’re the answer to my prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He then paused and said, “Sir, how will we divide the profits? Do I keep 10% and you get the 90%? Do I keep 5% and you get the 95%? I’ll be happy with any arrangement.”

       The rich man shook his head and chuckled. “No, I want you to give me the 10%. And you keep the 90%.”

       For a moment, the beggar couldn’t speak. When he tried to speak, it was gibberish.   “Uh, gee, uh, wow, I mean, huh?” He couldn’t believe his ears. The deal was too preposterous.

The rich man laughed more loudly. He explained, “I don’t need the money, my friend. I’m already wealthy beyond what you can ever imagine. I want you to give me 10% of your profits so you grow in faithfulness and gratitude.”

The beggar knelt down before his benefactor and said, “Yes Sir, I will do as you say. Even now, I’m so grateful for what you’ve done for me!”

       And so that was what happened…

He Forgets Where The Blessings Came From

Each day, the beggar—now dressed a little bit better—operated a store selling rice in the market. He worked very hard. He woke up early in the morning and slept late at night. And sales were brisk, also because the rice was of good quality. And after 30 days, the profits were astounding.

       At the end of the month, as the ex-beggar was counting the money, and liking very much the feeling of money in his hands, an idea grew in his mind. He told himself, “Gee, why should I give 10% to my Business Partner? I didn’t see him the whole month! I was the one who was working day and night for this business. I did all this work! I deserve the 100% profits!”

       A few minutes later, the rich man was knocking on the door to collect his 10% of the profits. The ex-beggar opened the door and said, “You don’t deserve the 10%. I worked hard for this. I deserve all of it!” And he slammed the door.

       If you were his Business Partner, how would you feel?

       Friend, this is exactly what happens to us…

God Gave You Everything

       I’ve got an announcement to make: God is your Business Partner. And your Business Partner gave you everything. 

God gave you your life—every single moment, every single breath, every single second… God gave your talents—your ability to talk, to create, to earn money…   God gave you your body—your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your hands, your feet, your heart… God gave you your mind—your imagination, your emotions, your reasoning, your language…

       In the Old Testament, your Divine Business Partner only asks that you give 10% of your profits.

       But I’ve noticed that many don’t want to tithe. Because they feel they own everything they earn. 

Big mistake.

       Some Christians believe that they don’t need to tithe because it’s an Old Testament Law. They say that in the New Testament, God tells us to give as the Spirit of God leads us to give.

       I totally agree. But does that mean we should give less than the Old Testament? 

The story I gave you above is the Old Testament Version. 

Let me share with you my second version…

Do You Want Blessings To Flow?

       It’s easy to give once in a while.

       Even a selfish man can do that.

       But for happiness, life, blessings, and abundance to flow into your life, you need to give faithfully.

I visited Israel again last month.

And I visited the three bodies of water in Israel. All three are connected to each other. The first is the Sea of Galilee; the second is the Jordan river; and the third is the Dead Sea.

       Both the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River are filled with fish. But the Dead Sea is called dead because there’s no living thing in it. No fish. No shrimp. No plants. Even some bacteria have a hard time living in it. Because it’s 8.6 times saltier than any ocean in the world.

       Why so?

Let me give you the difference between these three bodies of water. The Sea of Galilee gives water to the Jordan River. The Jordan River gives water to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea gives water to… no one.

All that water that it receives gets trapped—and the only way the water escapes it is through evaporation, leaving all the chemicals and salt in the Dead Sea.

Here’s the lesson: If you don’t give, you die.