Original: November 18, 2007
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" Revelations 5:11-13
12 "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" Revelations 7:12
Every buck hunter knows the real work begins after the buck is down.
We were two for two.
In two days we were able to take two great bucks! The problem, however, was not that we killed two great bucks but where we killed them. Both the deer were shot miles below our camp in canyons that demanded that we “bone out” the bucks and pack them out! These were mule deer bucks. I cannot tell you what they weighed but I measured the necks (I always carry a tape measure for times like this), which were 32 and 34 inches around! The bucks had to be over 250 pounds each on the ground.
Translation: Heavy, and hiking 110 pounds of meat and gear uphill for two to four miles can be exhausting to say the least. My buck was down in the bottom of a box canyon with walls that were nearly straight up. Staring ominously to the top Darby said, “Let’s take it one step at a time. Let’s just focus on one foot in front of the other.”
Easier said than done!
His plan worked as we methodically made it back to camp. The hike out took all of our focus, effort, energy and strength. The task at hand necessitated our full engagement in order to complete our journey to the top.
The journey of life is like packing out those bucks.
It requires our full commitment as any step taken without careful precision can result in slipping, falling, over exertion, or injury. Life requires a man to carry burdens throughout the journey with his wife, his kids, his career, and his family history (Galatians 6:2, Matthew 11:28). These burdens weigh on a man as he strategically maneuvers each step of his journey with thoughtful diligence.
Look at the famous scene found in Revelation 5:11-12.
Virtually every angel and elder in heaven is proclaiming in harmony that our Creator is “worthy” to have (among other things) all of a man’s strength. In one of the final scenes of the age we see God’s creatures confessing His worthiness to receive all from His creation (also Philippians 2:9-10).
All.
This got me thinking.
How much of my strength has God received from me lately? Does He truly have all of it? What am I holding back? What am I giving away to others? Who else receives my strength?
Where is my capacity leaking out to temporal, finite and worthless sources?
Only God is truly “worthy….to receive” all of a man.
