Many people don't see what goes on in the background of their ministry, behind the scenes of their personal lives. I don't see it all, of course, but I do probably see more than most people. And I can testify that the Copelands are wonderful examples of leaders in the spirit of cheerful giving.
Now that is a virtue I have had to learn gradually over a long period of time. When I first started out in the ministry, I was not blessed with the understanding of this principle.
A Lesson I'll Never Forget
I will never forget the first time Brother Copeland asked me to come to his room and pray with him. That was way back in 1972. After two or three days of meeting for times of intense prayer, Brother Copeland announced, "The Lord has told me that in order for us to launch into this television ministry, I am to give away my airplane."
Now since I remembered that we had flown to that meeting in that very plane, my first question was: "How are we going to get home?"
Now that was real "seed-consciousness" on my part. You can see what level I was operating on. All I could think about was our need. But I soon learned better, and so can you. The point is that Brother Copeland was "seed-conscious" and I wasn't. I was "need-conscious."
But then Brother Copeland went a step further. He announced that since the engines had a lot of flight time on them, he was going to have them repaired before he gave the airplane away.
I thought to myself, "That's crazy, let the man you give it to do that." For the life of me, I couldn't figure why anyone would spend several thousand dollars to repair a plane he was about to give away. Then I discovered the reasoning behind that action.
Brother Copeland explained, "The reason I want to put this plane in first-class condition is because by giving it away I am planting a seed, and I don't want to reap a worn-out plane in return."
What Quality Of Seed Are You Planting?
Now when most of us are called upon to give away some of our possessions, such as clothing, we usually go through our closets and pick out everything we don't like: whatever is worn, out of style, misfitting, uncomfortable, unbecoming or just plain ugly.
What a sacrifice! If you do that, do you know what you are going to get in return for each old cast-off garment you give? An abundant return of exactly the same thing!
If you and I are to be leaders in giving, we must give the way God gives; we must give the best. Then the best will come back to us, in multiplied form. That is a lesson I learned from the Copelands. I saw their example and the results it produced, and I decided to follow that example.
I am not giving you an order; I am not saying you must do it, but others are eager for it. This is one way to prove that your love is real, that it goes beyond mere words.
In the hard times in which you and I are now living, people need a good example. In these days when there are so many ministries failing, so many churches cutting back or shutting down, so many believers becoming discouraged, being sidetracked and dropping out, there are multitudes begging for someone to stand up and provide them an example and a model.
That example and model should be us, the saints of God who are the leaders in cheerful giving.
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Dr. Jerry Savelle was an average, blue-collar man who was struggling and needed God's help. While he considered himself a "nobody," when he became a believer God told him not to worry about it because He was a master at making champions out of nobodies. God has since taken Dr. Savelle from being a constant quitter to a man who knows how to stand on the Word of God until victory is experienced. Because of the life-changing combination of God's faithfulness and Dr. Savelle's "no quit" attitude, his life is totally different than it was thirty-eight years ago.
