BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Absolutely. He knows (even better than most Christians) that we’re more than what we look like in the natural. That we’re not just flesh and blood human beings. On the inside, in our spirits, we’re exactly like Jesus. We’re carriers of the light and life of God. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7). Reading those verses, I used to think they were saying that the glory of God is our treasure. But in this context the treasure being referred to is actually the knowledge of God’s glory. The Greek word translated knowledge there means “a working knowledge.” What’s a working knowledge? I compare it to the kind of knowledge that, as a pilot, I have about airplanes. Anyone can ride on a plane, but I understand how to operate it. I have enough working knowledge of aviation that rather than just being a passenger, I can get in the cockpit and fly the plane wherever I want to go. That’s how it ought to be for us, as believers, where God’s glory is concerned! Everyone of us has the glory inside of us. So the potential for us to operate in it is there. But most Christians haven’t done much with that potential. They’re more like spiritual passengers than pilots because they don’t understand the principles by which the glory works. They don’t know what to do with it, what feeds it or what hinders it. The good news, however, is that the knowledge is available. God has already given it to us. We just have to press in to the excellence of it by making a quality decision to step up into a higher place in our walk with God. Golden Vessel or Mud Pot? “Well, Brother Copeland, I believe how high I go spiritually is up to God. Like the Bible says, ‘In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.’ So if God decides to make me a little mud pot, that’s what I’ll be.” God isn’t the One who makes the decision. You are. The verse that follows the one you just quoted makes that clear. It says, “If a man therefore purge himself…he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet [or profitable] for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work” (2 Timothy 2:20-21). Every child of God is a golden vessel if they just knew it. The choice as to whether we live like one, however, is up to us. We can either slop along as little mud pots, or we can cleanse ourselves of dishonorable attitudes and actions and serve God with glory and excellence. Part of serving Him with excellence is doing what He tells us to do, exactly how and when He tells us to do it. It’s obeying His written WORD and the promptings of His Spirit, even about issues that to us might seem small. There’s no such thing as a lightweight command from God! Whatever He tells us to do, there’s a reason for it, and it’s big. Let me give you an example from my own life. In the early days of this ministry The LORD told me to begin exercising. 'Kenneth, start walking and don’t quit,' He said. I didn’t want to hear that. I’d hated exercising ever since I played football in high school. Plus, I didn’t see the value of it. So even though I’d understood God’s instructions perfectly, I’d walk for a few days, then just slough it off and soon forget about it. 8 : BVOV

• Cover