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. In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
Revelation 5:11-13
Recently, I was struck by a single word in the book of Revelation. There is a lot of striking imagery in that book, so to be stopped by one word is surprising. And yet, there it was.
I was reading Revelation 5:12, which records the song of a hundred million angels surrounding Jesus on His throne. And the song they sing to Him is this: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
It is interesting to see the word “wealth” in that list.
Worthy is Jesus to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.
When we think of Jesus, we are quick to think of Him as worthy of our praise and glory and honor. In fact, we use those words often in our worship songs that we sing every weekend in our churches.
But when was the last time you thought of Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain, as worthy of all your wealth?
No doubt, of course, He is worthy of our wealth. But when was the last time we sang that in corporate worship? Or meditated on that truth in our lives? Much less, actually lived it out?
It is true though. In fact, there is no other Being—or any created thing in the entire universe—that is worthy of our wealth like the God who made us and gave Himself for us. And there is no greater place we can put our wealth than in the hands of the One who gave it to us.
Maybe that is why Jesus taught us, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
There is a Lamb who was slain and now sits upon the throne. He is worthy of power and strength. He is worthy of praise and glory and honor.
And He is worthy of our wealth.
A hundred million angels in heaven declare that to be true.
May we join them.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I invite You to do whatever work needs to be done in my heart today. Reveal to my heart the truth You have for me today. Show me what it means that Jesus is worthy of my wealth, and help me live in light of that truth. Amen.