BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Dump Trucks or Teacups? Just think, when Paul penned that verse he had the Macedonians in mind! He was thinking about the receiving cycle their giving had set in motion and encouraging other believers to do the same by following their example. For, as 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says: “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” In other words, Paul was telling us, the degree of financial BLESSING we walk in is not left up to God, it’s left up to us! As a joint heir with Jesus of THE BLESSING of Abraham, each one of us can sow whatever we purpose in our heart. We can believe for a hundredfold return and sow a dump-truck load of seed, or we can sow a teacup full of seed and believe for a hundredfold return on that. As Jesus put it, “...with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38, "New King James Version"). “But Brother Copeland, what if in my heart I want to give dump trucks full of seed, but I don’t even have enough in my bank account to fill a teacup?” Then start where you are. Plant what you have and believe that God, who “ministereth seed to the sower,” will “multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness” (2 Corinthians 9:10). I can testify from experience, He’ll do it! I found that out in the early years of this ministry when He told me to give $50,000 to Brother Kenneth E. Hagin’s ministry. In the natural, I had no way to come up with that much money. So, by faith I just started by giving the pocket change I had left over every day, because that’s all I had to give. I’d store it all up in a shoebox for a while, add to it any extra money people happened to give me, and when the box would get full I’d put it all together and ship it to Tulsa, Okla. After some time passed, I called the ministry to see how much progress I was making. I asked Brother Hagin’s son-in-law, Buddy Harrison, to find out how much I’d sowed. He checked the records and told me I’d given over $50,000. There was no way that kind of money had come through my pockets! Are you kidding me? Fifty thousand-plus dollars in pocket change? No! God had gotten involved in that deal. His BLESSING had gone to work not only to give me a harvest but to multiply my seed sown so that, in addition to being a bigger BLESSING to Brother Hagin, I could reap a greater harvest. That’s God’s plan for all of us, as believers! So, let’s get with the program! Let’s agree with God that there should be no poor among us. Let’s sow bountifully and give THE BLESSING something to work with, so that as 2 Corinthians 9:11 says, we “being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness” can bring forth thanksgiving to God! V 8 : BVOV

• Cover