Give Thanks For Work
Pulling the trigger was the easy part. My moose was down. I've done this by myself many times, and to be honest, there is always a moment of exhale where I think something like, "Lord, what have I done?" The first long job was to get the hide and meat off one side and then the other. I am also meticulous about keeping my meat clean. On a good sized bull this can take 2 or 3 hours by the time I'm done.
Since the law requires that the meat be left on the bone, I have four heavy legs and two large rib cages, along with backstraps, tenderloin, heart, liver, and a large amount of scrap from the neck and other places. This is 6 trips with a heavy pack to get out to my machine. Then try to imagine loading a whole moose with your camp and rifle on a 4 Wheeler. I've done it before, but this time I was only driving on 3 wheels and a rim- one tire was completely flat. The machine could barely handle half a moose, and by the time I made it out to my truck, it was long after dark.
I drove over 100 miles to my house, off-loaded the machine and hung the meat, loaded a different machine and headed over 100 miles back into the mountains. By the time I retrieved the second load of meat and made it home, another day was nearly gone. This is moose hunting... when you are fortunate enough to get one. Most of life's greatest blessings have a lot of work attached to them. A spouse, children, a home, a good car, a career... things that people dream about. But they seldom dream about the work. Salvation is free, but following Christ comes at a cost.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." True disciples live for something greater than SELF. We count it a blessing to be WORKERS in God's harvest field. Don't despise work, Don't make it your life goal to 'not work.' Give thanks for work. Recognize that it is a central part of the gift, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad
Written on January 21, 2026
Posted in Daily Devotions