Issue 684 – Velvet – March 15, 2022
You will often see them when driving from Edmonton to BC via Jasper National Park. The same if you are going through Elk Island National Park.
What are they? They are North American elk, or wapiti (Cervus Canadensis), not to be confused with the animals called elk elsewhere.
One of the deer family’s largest members, elk are an impressive sight to see. The bulls have huge antlers, shed every year, and grow back covered in “velvet” (a hairy skin that looks like brown velvet). Elk antlers are impressive, growing at an incredible rate of one to two inches a day. Some sources say that elk antlers are the fastest-growing animal kingdom tissues.
During the growing season, the antlers stay covered in velvet rubbed off, exposing hardened antlers by autumn. Elk are farmed for meat and velvet, and a male can produce 10-12 kg of velvet a year. Most of the velvet is sold to the far East, where it is considered an aphrodisiac.
Velvet antlers are pretty soft and easily damaged. They can bleed and be very uncomfortable during the peeling process. Once they have hardened off, though, two large bucks can rattle antlers together like sabres.
It is much the same with the Christian faith. A newly born-again Christian can be a fragile creation; the world or bad Bible teaching can easily wound or distract an immature believer.
A mature saint who knows what they believe and why and has seen God come through time and time again is a different person. They stand up to whatever life throws at them.
The Lord calls all believers to grow in their faith and perseverance. We need to search and study the Scriptures and put our faith into action. The trials of life are designed to scrape the velvet off and strengthen us.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:7-11
Rejoice in the discipline, for it will strengthen you. Dig deeply into the Word; the more you know the Lord, the stronger your faith will be.
Allow God to strengthen and shape you; He knows who He designed you to be.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed.
Kevin.
Gleanings From The Word.
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone.)
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All contents are © 2001, 2022 K. F. “Kevin” Corbin and Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV). Spelling modified to Canadian English as required.
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