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)

God of Ample Means

Missionary statesman, Hudson Taylor, had complete trust in God's faithfulness. 

In his journal he wrote: "Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning...He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. 

We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all.

Depend on it, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.

Our Daily Bread, May 16, 1992.

You Are Not Alone

A young Christian university student was home for the summer. She had gone to visit some friends one evening and the time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year. She ended up staying longer than she had planned and had to walk home alone. She wasn't afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away. As she walked along under the tall elm trees, she asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger.

When she reached the alley, which was a shortcut to her house, she decided to take it. However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her. She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God's protection. A comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped around her, and she felt as though someone was walking with her. When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young woman had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there. Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep. Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station.

She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story. The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him. She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before. When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.

The officer thanked her for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her. She asked if they would ask the man one question. She was curious as to why he had not attacked her. When the policeman asked him, he answered, "Because she wasn't alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her."

A Pair of Glasses Heading for China

My mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to orphanages in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what had happened; the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China! 

The Great Depression was at its height and Grandpa had six children. He had spent $20 for those glasses that very morning. He was really upset by the thought of having to buy another pair. "It's not fair," he told God as he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this." 

Months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak oneSunday at my grandfather's small church in Chicago. 

The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage. "But most of all," he said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses wedged between two blankets. 

The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued: "Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that." 

The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way. 

There are times we want to blame God instead of thanking him! Perhaps it is something we ought to try more often, "Thank you, God, for not allowing my car to start this morning." He may have been saving your life from a car accident. "Lord Jesus, thank you for letting me lose my glasses; I'm sure they'll be put to good use or there is a lesson to be learned." 

I have to remember this in these times of trial with my own family. 

May GOD bless your week. Look for the perfect mistakes!

Why Did God Make Me As I Am?”

A happily married woman with two children lost both of them. They were buried in the same grave. After that, she suffered a deep emotional collapse. For years her family fed and cared for her as though she was as weak and helpless as a little child.

One day her aunt, a joyful Christian, took her turn at feeding her. The distraught and despondent woman said, “Auntie, you keep on saying that God loves us. I used to think so too; but if He loves us, why did He make me as I am?”

The aunt kissed her gently, said with the wisdom of years, “Dear, He hasn’t made you yet. He’s making you now!”

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply; The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.”

Eddie and Alice Smith

The Man and the Small Candle

I'm really interested in story about a small candle carried by a man who was climbing the stairs of a lighthouse.

In their way up to the top, the candle asked the man, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to the top of this lighthouse and give signals to the big ships on the ocean," the man answered.

"What? How could it be possible for me with my small light to give signals to those big ships?"

"They will never be able to see my light", replied the candle weakly.

"That's your part. If your light is small, let it be. All you have to do is keep burning and leave the rest to me", said the man.

A little later, they arrived at the top of the lighthouse where there was a big lamp with a loop behind it. Then the man lit the lamp with the light of the candle and instantly, the place shone so brightly that the ships on the ocean could see its light.

---

With our being and our limitations, we're hardly able to do any meaningful things. Yet, one thing you should bear in mind is that your life is like a small candle in God's powerful hand. All your abilities and expertise will remain as a small light if you don't put your life in God's hand. On the contrary, even if your light is so small or dim, if you entrust all your life to God, he is able to make your small light into a big one that brings blessings to many people.

A Sign In The Heavens

Ziglar's Cloud

The daughter of Zig Ziglar reminds us that even at the darkest times we are given reason to rejoice.

By Julie Ziglar Norman, Alvord, Texas
I’d turned on the car radio for the long drive home that afternoon last November. My favorite preacher was on, but I wasn't really paying attention. My mind was on my father. I’d just visited him at the nursing facility where he’d been for the past few months, his health failing.

He was 86. His spirit remained strong but the light in his eyes had dimmed and I had to wonder if this was the last time we’d see each other. My dad, the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, was known the world over for his energy, optimism and faith. The interesting thing is, he came to that faith in his mid-forties.

It was the night of July 4, 1972, not long after he left a successful career as a salesman to pursue public speaking full time. He’d grown up in a church-going family but he had more doubts than belief.

That night he was out in his swimming pool when he was struck by the urge to pray, as his friend Sister Jessie had been encouraging him to do. Was God real? he asked. Was he truly present in our day-to-day lives? Dad lay back in the water and stared up into the heavens.

All at once a shooting star streaked across the sky. He was startled and elated. A warmth filled him, like the light from the star. He knew with the utmost certainty the answers to his questions. And he knew that he needed to share not just his energy and optimism in his speeches but his faith.

Dad often talked about the sign he saw. Maybe that’s why I looked up myself that afternoon, driving home from visiting him. Clouds were skimming across the Texas sky. Then I saw it, a cloud in the unmistakable shape of a Z.

Z for Ziglar.

I pulled over, grabbed my cell phone and took a picture. It wasn't till later that I realized the camera function must have been set to video. I showed the recording to my brother and sister when we were keeping vigil in Dad’s hospital room. He’d been rushed there on Thanksgiving with pneumonia.

“We’re sorry, but there’s no hope,” the doctors told us. Dad would have argued that meeting his savior was more than hope enough. My prayers were for his time on earth to end peacefully. That was how he died six days later, in his sleep.

The family met to plan the funeral. Dad had spelled out exactly what he wanted for the “big church memorial,” as he called it—down to which Bible passages to read and which songs to sing. But for the private graveside service that would come first, he gave free rein to his pastor, Jack Graham.

Someone suggested that we get a better quality image of the Z cloud for the memorial program. I found the video on my phone and pressed “play.” Who was talking in the background? I hadn't noticed it before.

I turned up the volume—it was the preacher from the car radio. He was quoting from I Thessalonians 4:13–18: “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope...”

Hope. That was what Dad was all about. “Hey, y’all, listen to this,” I said to my family and played the video again. We’d have to tell Pastor Graham about this after the graveside service. He would be as moved as we were.

The next morning we gathered at the cemetery. “Years ago I committed to memory certain Bible verses,” Pastor Graham began. “Verses that I believe God wants me to share with you today.” He started quoting the Scripture.

My brother and I looked at each other, stunned. Then we said quietly along with Pastor Graham, “...that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

Dad was in his eternal home, and like Dad, I had looked to the heavens and had seen a sign telling me with the utmost certainty that I would see him again.

Article from Guideposts

http://www.guideposts.org/inspiration/stories-of-hope/a-sign-in-the-heavens?utm_source=Inspirational%20Roundup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2013-6-29_nl_a-sign-in-the-heavens

The Great Shelter

The Maker of the storms does not need to make any shelter for us. 

Whenever the storm hits, GOD, Himself, is our Shelter. (Isaiah 4:6)

Albert Kang

Old Mr. John's Memory Verse

The story is told of a Sunday class that had been asked the question, "In your time of discouragement, what is your favorite Scripture?" A young man said, "the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want Psalm 23:1."

A middle age woman said, "God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1."

Another woman said, "In this world you shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer, I have overcome this world. John 16:33-35."

Then old Mr. John who was 80 years old, with head of white hair and dark black skin, stood up and said with as much strength as he could muster, "and it came to pass 85 times in the Bible."

The class started to laugh a little thinking that old Mr. John's lack of memory was getting the best of him. When the snickering stopped, he said.

"At 30 I lost my job with six hungry mouths and a wife to feed. I didn't know how I would make it. At 40 my eldest son was killed overseas in the war. It knocked me down.

At 50 my house burned to the ground. Nothing was saved out of the house. At 60 my wife of 40 years got cancer. It slowly ate away at her. We cried together many a night on our knees in prayer.

At 65 she died. I still miss her today. The agony I went through in each of these situations was unbelievable. I wondered where God was. But each time I looked in the Bible I saw one of those 85 verses that said, 'and it came to pass.'

I felt that God was telling me, my pain and my circumstances were also going to pass and that God would get me through it."