The Blessedness Of Generosity

We like a generous man for he is a source of blessing. All of us, without any exception, wants to be blessed. It is the generous man that prospers (Prov. 11:25).

A story is told about Alexander the Great. He was the greatest conqueror of many nations during his time. Having fought several wars, like the U.S.A. in modern times, his kingdom was short of money. One day he learned of a man who has served him faithfully but was never rewarded. He called for him and when he asked the man what he wanted for a reward, the latter asked for $50,000.00 which was then a large sum of money. The treasurer of his Kingdom signaled to the Monarch with a wink in his eyes that the treasury was almost empty. But The Great Alexander ordered him to give what was asked for “because of his trust and confidence” in the Monarch and in the solvency of his kingdom.

The best example of the most generous personality is the Lord Jesus Christ when he was on earth ministering and even today and forever. “Ask him anything according to God’s will and he gives it to you” (I John 5:14). This must be understood in light of what Jesus himself said when he was on earth ministering: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). This means that one must know him first and accept him in his heart as his LORD and Savior. Once one does this, Christ abides or resides in his heart. A true Christian knows what to ask, and what to pray, just as we know what we ask our earthly father. Thus, we do not just ask anything from our earthly father. That is why, Jesus also said: “and all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matt. 21-22 KJV). Just as we do not ask arbitrarily from our earthly father what we know is not good for us, we also do not ask arbitrarily from God. His only requirement is to have full faith in Him. Thus, Jesus would respond, “Thy faith hath made thee whole” (Matt. 9:22), or “According to your faith, be it unto you” (Matt. 9:29); or “Woman, great is thy faith” (Matt. 15:28). The great Apostle Paul said, “a man is justified by faith” (Rom. 3:28). “His (Abraham’s) faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5). The just (Christian) shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38).

The opposite of a generous soul is a stingy person. The Bible tells us: “A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him” (Prov. 28: 22 NIV).

We abhor stingy people. If possible, we don’t like to deal or have any business dealings with them. It is a waste of time and energy, resulting to disappointment. But not necessarily in all circumstances.

In the late 80’s, a client was referred to me by my compadre and for whom I stood as wedding sponsor (hijado sa kasal), who is a geodetic engineer and upon my encouragement because I perceived him as having brilliant mind, became a lawyer in 1972, and to whom I endorsed numerous landowner-clients for survey professional services to help him in his practice in surveying. He was very efficient and fast in his survey work that he had become a by-word when it comes to survey of lands in Davao del Norte, particularly in Kapalong. When the Land Reform Law (CARL or CARP) was implemented in 1988, the landed people to avoid the CARL subdivided their lands to be distributed to their children and other relatives. Consequently, out of his fees, he was able to acquire vast lands and build a house made of molave and narra wood with a basement. He was also able to buy cars, and later on a Ford SUV, a status symbol kind of vehicle for successful businessmen, professionals and rich people in the Philippines.

My compadre and hijado did not like to handle court cases because he said, it takes a long time to terminate a case and to collect a fee; whereas, according to him, in the surveying profession, when the client engages his services, a downpayment (acceptance fee) is immediately paid; while conducting a survey, he would be served with sumptuous food, and sometimes the client will serve “lechon” (roasted pig) to his survey team. After the survey, a substantial part of the agreed fee is paid; and then after approval of his survey job which normally takes about a month only, the client will pay fully his fee.

On the other hand, he said, normally cases in court will last for several years, which require lots of preparation in research, study and entail voluminous writing of pleadings to be filed in court, besides the consequential emotional stress. Furthermore, the trial stage would require him to go to court very early and to wear a formal attire which are not required in surveying work. If the case is decided against the client, the lawyer is left with an empty bag resulting to extreme disappointment and feeling of depression. Stated differently, it takes a long time for a lawyer to earn his fee - - and only if he wins his case.

This referred client came to the law office where I was an associate for twenty-five years at San Pedro Street, then the main thoroughfare of Davao City, like Escolta in Manila of olden days and Ayala Avenue in Makati City of modern times in the Philippines.

When the client appeared in our office, I noticed that he was dressed like a very poor man. He was wearing an ordinary T-shirt, a sandal which we locally call as “smuggle-sandal”, and with a guava branch cane. In reality he was rich because he had a two-storey 54-door residential apartments called the “Sacred Heart Apartment” distributed and located in Barrio Obrero, this city, then a poor man’s village, but now abounds with imposing government and private school infrastructures and the residence of rich Chinese people. There is one long span of his apartment in front of Stella Maris College, a prestigious school among rich people; another one very near the Southeastern University, a government university; and the other one at Clarin Street, beside Victoria Plaza, then the largest shopping mall in Davao City. Each apartment had a separate title. It was an old version of our condo units of present day.

In my interview of the client before accepting his case, for I know that he will ask how much will be my fee, I learned from him that he had other valuable properties located at Roxas Blvd., now a main thoroughfare in our City. He also owns large lots along Jacinto Street, near Ateneo de Davao University, a premiere University in Mindanao and along Quezon Boulevard, another main street in this city; he owns agricultural lands planted with coconut and rice in Tuganay, Carmen, Davao del Norte; vast rice and coconut farms in Lupon, the rice granary of Davao Provinces; and in Mati, Davao Oriental, he had numerous commercial lots.

One of the occupants of the apartment continuously failed to pay his rent, so the client wanted to collect and to eject him. When he asked me how much I would charge him for his case, he almost literally fell from the visitor’s chair when I told him P10,000.00. I was amazed that such a landed rich man, a measly P10,000.00 fee was too much for him. But not wanting to lose him, I asked, “Magkano po ang gusto ninyo?” (How much do you want, Sir? because he spoke in Tagalog). He answered, “Puede bang P4,000.00?” (Can you make it P4,000.00?). With a disappointed smile, I told him, “50% na lang ho, pero puede ibigay ninyo lahat kaagad? (Can you make it 50%, Sir, but can I ask you to give it immediately?”). The reason why I asked for immediate payment was because I needed to send the P3,000.00 which was a monthly allowance of my daughter Susan, who was taking up Law in UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Parenthetically, Atty. Susan placed number nine in the 1991 bar exam where only seventeen per cent passed. To God be the glory! Lately, I have given up to her my specially designed office with closet and exclusive comfort and bathroom as I am already on “semi-retirement” handling cases only of clients who specially request my personal appearance in court). He retorted, “Sige, pero bigyan mo ako ng dalawang linggo kasi mag-collection pa ako” (Okay, but please give me two weeks because I’ll have to collect first). This made me feel quite disappointed and more amazed because a very rich man is asking for two weeks to produce a measly sum of P5,000.00!

Nevertheless, in two days time, his niece-Secretary came to pay. I sent immediately the P3,000.00 to my daughter, thus leaving for my family the P2,000.00. In those days, this was more than enough budget for two weeks marketing and grocery for a family in the Philippines.

After our hearing in court, if it was still snacks time, he would invite me to a Chinese restaurant without air-conditioning. He would order coffee for himself without milk and without sugar. Without asking what I want, he would order for me Royal True Orange soft drink and four pieces of smallest “hopia” wrapped in cellophane. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, I pretend to enjoy my snacks. He never invited me to have lunch with him.

He had other similar cases thereafter but my fee remained the same and the menu is like the manna from heaven - - always the same. He was so stingy that I was never able to raise even for a single cent my fee per case.

Not long after, this client died. His secretary came to me bringing with her three bank passbooks, because the banks were requiring the execution and submission of a settlement of estate among the heirs on the bank deposits. When I totaled the amount, it was more than P3,800,000.00! In those earlier years of my practice, this was a lot of money.

He was survived by a widow without any children at all. He had no more brothers and sisters, so his several nephews and nieces scrambled to claim their inheritance. Everybody wants the apartment in front of Stella Maris College and the one near the Southeastern University. Because of this predicament and trouble among the heirs, I decided to have the inheritance case which included his vast landholdings, settled through judicial proceedings. Praise God, in record time, the estate was settled and distributed among the heirs.

My fee was the equivalent of the share of one heir which I invested in building my own law office. At least one-half of the cost of my modest law office building in the heart of the City which conservatively at present day cost will easily be about ten million pesos, built on a lot which also at present day cost is more than five times the cost of the building is the legacy to me of this client. The other half cost of the building and the cost of the lot where the building stands are wonderful and thrilling stories of how God so providentially and generously blessed me in my private practice as advocate. For a time, when I was President of our fellowship chapter, we had our headquarters at the ground floor. It was during those days that God enabled me to complete the building to what it is now. To God be the glory!

The Lord Jesus Christ said: “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small – it will be used to measure what is given back to you” (Luke 6:38 NLT).

How did I get the blessings from God? Out of my generous referral of clients to a friend to help him, and that friend, in turn, referred to me a stingy client who turned out to my own good by the LORD God! (Romans 8:28). So, let us not despise stingy clients or customers, for in the end, if we attend to and take good care of their concerns, they are a tremendous blessing. The wise King Solomon said: “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself” (Prov. 11:25). (FGBMFI Davao City Chapter Bulletin June 2, 2012)