The Homeless Man and the Tycoon

Shanghai in the 1930s

One day, a Chinese tycoon, in his majestic-looking sedan car, passed by a narrow street in a certain part of Shanghai. As he looked out of his curtained window, he saw a young man begging by the side of that street. He told his driver to stop the vehicle so that he could talk to this young homeless man. 

The tycoon found out that this young man was a graduate who migrated from Guangzhou, the southern part of China. He also learned that the young man had fallen on hard time because he was cheated by some hooligans and added to that tragedy, he could not find a job.

The homeless man lamented, "After I arrived in Shanghai, I started to look for a job. Some would not employ me because they said that I was too skinny to do the hard work. Others said that I was too educated for their organizations. Yet others refused to hire me because I could not speak Shanghainese. 

At that time I was living with my schoolmate's uncle but he turned out to be a gambler. Apart from my monthly room rental, he asked me to advance him the rents for the next eleven months. I did and then this man suddenly disappeared. He did not pay his house rent to the landlord and so I and other tenants were kicked out of the premises. I have been living off the kindness and charity of the passersby for the last seven months."

The elderly tycoon listened attentively and his heart was drawn to this young man and wanted so badly to help him. Before he could say anything further, the homeless man said, "Sir, on the other hand, I no longer have a home in Guangzhou. My parents had passed on and now I am really an orphan."

With tears in his eyes, the young man pleaded, "I see that you are a very rich man. Do you have a job for me? Even as a cleaner in your office, I will be glad to serve you."

"Young man, I am not going to offer you a job." The tycoon said. 

"Instead I am going to offer you a partnership."

The young man was speechless. When he came to his senses, he asked, "What type of business would we be doing?"

The elderly man said, "Silk! We will sell silk cloths. My name is Moh and I am the largest silk producer in this part of China."

"What kind of partnership? You know I have no money and actually, I have nothing to my name now. How can I be your partner, Uncle Moh?" The homeless man questioned.

"Well, this type of partnership is special. It is such that I supply everything - from giving you a shop to helping you pay your employees and supplying you with the products until this business becomes self-sustaining and earning profits. I would even send a consultant to advise you on how you can best run the business."

The young man sank to his knees. He was weeping and exclaimed, "How can this be true? Are you sent by Heaven to help me? You are my savior!"

With tears rolling down his cheeks, the young man added, "I will be glad to be your partner, Uncle Moh. I will take only ten percent of the profit while you take ninety percent because you are supplying everything."

The elderly man laughed and said, "Young man, please stand up. Let me say that this will not be how you and I would split the profit. You will take ninety percent and I will take ten percent."

The young man was flabbergasted. He protested, "Uncle Moh, this will not be fair to you. At least, you have to take half of the profit."

The tycoon smiled and pointed to his car, his driver, his bodyguard, his expensive clothes and his diamond stubbed watch. 

"See all these, I have enough money to last me ten lifetimes. I don't need your profit. I ask for ten percent is to help you to become a responsible person who is filled with gratitude. It is also to keep you humble so that when you achieve success, you will always remember your humble beginning."

And so the partnership was launched. The young man worked very hard and every month, he faithfully delivered ten percent of his profit to the tycoon. 

After five years, the profit that this new partner was making by selling silk had tripled. Every month, he began to feel unhappy having to give such a large amount of money to the tycoon. So, instead of the usual ten percent, he reduced the amount to five percent of the profit.

The tycoon did not say a word even though he knew that this young partner was cheating him. That continued for a few years and the young man had then become one of the leading businessmen in the Shanghai marketplace. He had gotten married to a beautiful lady of noble birth, he had his own expensive car with driver, and a few other cars in his garage and also his own villa with many servants. 

As this young man achieved financial succes, something happened to his spiritual heart. He had become very uneasy and unhappy whenever someone mentioned that he had become a success because he was initially helped by this elderly tycoon.

One night, this young man was fuming to his wife. He said, "Who is this old chap? He just gave me a small break in life. Everything I have now, I earned it by myself. If it wasn't for my brillance, this business would have been given the dogs. Anyway, this old fellow did not even bother to show up during the opening of some of our new branches. From this day on, I am not going to be his partner. I will withdraw and not give him even five percent of the profit."

And so the young man did exactly as he had planned. And when he wrote his biography, there was not a word being mentioned about Uncle Moh.

What do you think about this formerly homeless man? 

Was he being honest and fair to the elderly tycoon? 

What do you think about you giving the ten percent of your income to God?

Are you being honest and fair to God?

Have you been faithful to His instruction? 

Are you cheating upon God's share of the profit?

A helpful guideline is this - what is sacred, belongs to God. Anything sacred should not be found in your bank account or in your wallet. The one-tenth belongs to the Lord.

Jesus said, "Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." (Luke 6:38)