Dr. Tan Tek Seng

DAILY REFLECTION

“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”Proverbs 11:24

Generosity opens the door to abundance, while selfish hoarding closes it and leads only to loss. What we clutch tightly slips away, but what we release freely multiplies in ways beyond measure.

Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist, rose to become one of the wealthiest men of the late 19th century. Yet he understood that wealth was not meant to be stored up for oneself. He declared, “The man who dies rich dies disgraced,” and lived by that conviction. Carnegie gave away over US$350 million to causes that uplifted society—founding more than 2,500 public libraries, supporting education, and advancing scientific research.

In giving freely, Carnegie gained something far greater than material riches: a legacy of influence, a testimony of moral responsibility, and the transformation of countless lives. His story illustrates a deeper truth—that God’s economy is not measured by what we keep, but by what we release. True abundance flows not from accumulation, but from generosity that blesses others and honors the Creator, who first gave freely to us. May his example remind us that the richest life is not the one filled with possessions, but the one poured out in generosity.

Proverbs 11:24 reminds us that true richness is not found in accumulation but in a life poured out to bless others. When we give freely, we step into God’s abundance, leaving behind a legacy that outlasts possessions and honors the One who first gave to us.

"The happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more."