The Eternal Weight of Glory

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Why should a Christian read the scriptures, and still gripe and moan about challenges? It makes no difference to the pressure you face from the adversary; refuse to give in. Never be flustered by circumstances or threats.

Christ lives in you and He’s the greater One. Therefore, when you face crises, declare, “Greater is He that’s in me than all the adversities and adversaries that could ever come against me!” Whatever you may be going through today is a light affliction; it came “to pass.” So, refuse to allow anything to steal your joy.

Even our transient troubles produce for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. The Word says so; hence, it’s the only outcome to expect. That’s why you must rejoice in the face of adversity. James 1:2 (TPT) says, “…when it seems as though you are facing nothing, but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!”

Celebrate and rejoice in the Lord when the squeeze is on. Don’t focus on the problem. Fix your gaze on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. In Him, you triumph ALWAYS, and in every situation.

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God (Philippians 4:6).

Oftentimes, you’ll find certain people whose everyday life is filled with pain, discouragement and defeat. You’d expect such folks to be quick to accept help at the slightest opportunity, but they’d rather gripe and whine about the difficulties they’re going through. We find a typical example of a certain man Jesus encountered at the pool of Bethesda. He had suffered a paralytic condition for thirty-eight long years.

Though Jesus knew the man had been sick for so long, He still asked him, “Do you want to get well?” The man didn’t answer the question but got defensive and started complaining about how he had been abandoned by everyone, with no one to help him into the pool every time the angel stirred the water. He didn’t ask Jesus for help either; he ignored the important question and griped about the situation.

That’s the way some people are; they complain to God about their problems, blaming others and society for the challenges they’re going through, instead of acting on the Word. The Bible says, “…count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). Romans 8:35-37 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

When you face challenges, don’t cry. Stand your ground in faith. Keep affirming the Word, knowing that greater is He that’s in you than he that’s in the world. Refuse to be discouraged by the enormity of the problem. The greater the trouble, the greater the glory that’ll be manifested. This is the reality. You’re greater than the challenges you face. Hallelujah.

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3). In Christianity, we have a solid front in Christ. The Spirit of God, through the Apostle Paul, referenced this in Colossians 2:5 (AMPC). It says, “For though I am away from you in body, yet I am with you in spirit, delighted at the sight of your [standing shoulder to shoulder in such] orderly array and the firmness and the SOLID FRONT AND STEADFASTNESS OF YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST [that leaning of the entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness].” In the face of daunting challenges and opposition, we don’t chicken out or give in; rather, we face them head-on, because we’re bold and courageous. We’re victors in Christ Jesus.

It baffles the spiritually unlearned how we’re able to face challenges, and dire crises in life and still be aglow in the spirit, full of joy and exuberant with praise to the Lord. It’s because we’ve come to know that, come what may, our victory is inevitable. We’re destined to always win. We’re never disadvantaged. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Those who don’t stand their ground, with a solid front in the midst of trouble have ignored the Word and walk in fear and unbelief. But that’s not God’s will for you. The real Christian life isn’t one of struggle, failure or defeat; it’s a life of ever-increasing glory, and our challenges are as bread. The Bible calls the crises we face a “light affliction,” because we’re born to overcome: _“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”_ (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Nothing, in life or death, was designed to defeat you. Therefore, be strong. Be tough. Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Keep your head high; square your shoulders. No matter what’s going on in your life or around you, maintain your faith in the Word of God and win.

Scripture places a high value on God’s glory, and it is not hard to figure out why. Since the inherent glory of the Lord is something that He will not share with others, we know that His glory is something that He prizes highly; indeed, He prizes it more highly than anything else. We should therefore set the glory of God as the goal and overarching emphasis of our lives. Whatever we lose for the sake of making the Lord’s glory known will be worth it when we see the dazzling light and beauty of the divine glory.

Glory has to do with light and beauty, but those aspects do not sum up what the Bible means when it speaks of the glory of God. Interestingly, the Hebrew word kabod, which is translated into English as “glory,” has the root meaning of “weight” or “heaviness.” This offers a clue that glory has to do with weight, and this is confirmed by passages of the Bible which speak of the “weight of glory.”

But when we speak of glory as having to do with weight or heaviness, what exactly do we mean? Essentially, we are talking about worth or value. Things of value are often measured by their weight, for example, precious gemstones such as diamonds. Scripture often speaks of the weight of precious metals when it is talking about prices or trying to measure generosity.

So, glory and worth are correlative concepts. God has a glory that surpasses the glory of anything else in existence because He is of infinite value and worth.

So, when we are ascribing glory to God, we are ascribing worth to Him. We are telling others of His value and unsurpassed worth. This, in turn, should shape what we do in and for Him. Our worship should evidence great beauty and reverence, for the most worthy being deserves that kind of worship. The Lord’s perfections should be regularly on our lips, for if we truly value something, we will not fail to tell others about it. If God has infinite worth and value, we should speak of His marvelous character. Since we are to do all to the glory of God, we should have high standards for our work and for how we treat other people. To work and relate for the sake of the glory of God means doing things well and loving people rightly, for we are seeking to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to the infinitely worthy One

Glory means honor, favor, influence. We like those things, but we don't always realize there's a weight that comes with favor, a weight that comes with influence. If you're not prepared for it, the favor won't be a blessing, it will be a burden.

We have to pass some tests before God will trust us with the weight of glory. Nothing happens by accident; your steps are ordered by the Lord.

The delays, the disappointments, the bad breaks, those are tests. Will you be good to people that are not being good to you? Will you stay in faith when things happen that you don't understand? You come down with an illness, you're overlooked for a promotion, the pandemic slows your dreams - these are all opportunities to prove to God that you can handle the weight of glory.

When you understand that God uses difficulties and things we don't like to get us prepared, then you don't complain when things don't go your way. You realize - it's serving a purpose. When you do the right thing and when the wrong thing is happening, you're getting stronger, your roots are going down deeper. That's why God doesn't remove everything instantly. We pray, "God, take this trouble away. Change this person. Make me comfortable". But if you're always comfortable you won't be prepared. We grow in difficult times. We grow when we have to stretch our faith, believe when we don't see things changing, stay in faith when we didn't get the contract. Those are very important times. If what you're praying about isn't changing, then God is using that situation to change you.

Now, I'm not saying to accept everything, live with defeat - I'm saying: God has a purpose for it. If you keep the right attitude, then it's preparing you for new levels, it's getting you ready to carry the weight of glory, to go where you've never gone, to see favor that you've never seen. The reason it's taking so long is because what God has in store is much bigger than you can imagine. Now don't fight the seasons where you're not comfortable, "Why isn't this changing? I've been doing the right things, seems like the more I pray the worse it gets". God knows what he's doing. Everything serves his plan. You can't see it, but every day you stay in faith, every day you do your best at work, you have a smile on your face, a song of praise in your heart - you are passing the test.

You can't see it, but your spiritual muscles are getting stronger, your character is being developed, you're showing God that he can trust you.

Body builders lift weights, but the weights don't do them any good if they're always easy. If you get a 10-pound dumbbell, you can lift that for three days. It's only when the weight is heavy enough to where there's resistance, it's uncomfortable, you won't like it, you will prefer not to have to strain stretch, but that's the only way the muscle grows. You may be in a situation where you're uncomfortable, "God why won't these people treat me right? Why won't my business increase? Why haven't I met anyone"? You're in training, this is an opportunity to get stronger. If God changed it overnight, you wouldn't be prepared to carry the weight of glory. God has something awesome in your future. Don't get discouraged by what's not working out, by how long it's taking, by who's not changing - seems like it's all negative, but what you can't see is you're growing, you're getting stronger, you're developing greater trust, greater confidence, greater endurance. These challenges are all opportunities to come up higher.

But there will be people in your life, you're treating them right, but they're doing you wrong, leaving you out, they're jealous. The time will come when you can get even, you can pay them back, you can leave them out - that's a test. Will you do to them what they did to you? Or will you be the bigger person? Take the high road and be good to them despite what they did. That's not just being nice, that's passing the test, that's showing God that you can carry the weight of glory, the weight of influence, the weight of leadership. God will not put you in a higher position if you're going to use that influence to mistreat people. He will test you with small things. How do you treat that clerk that's hard to get along with? How do you respond to that lady on the phone who doesn't give you the time of day?

“She was rude to me - that's why I was rude back to her; besides she doesn't even know who I am". She may not, but God does. He's the one who keeps the records.

Well, everyone at work slacks off, everyone comes in late, everyone wastes time - here's the difference: you're not everyone. You're called to set a new standard. God wants to take you to levels that others can't go. They don't have the character, the integrity, they don't want to live disciplined and focused. That's fine for them, but that's not who you. You are exceptional. You have a calling on your life. There's an assignment for you to fulfill. You were not created to just get by like others, you have greatness in you, you were created to stand out, to rise higher, to leave your mark. What you do in these seemingly small areas where nobody will know will determine whether God can trust you with big things.

This is more relevant today than ever, because you can get on social media and be negative toward people, condescending, say hurtful things, all under a different name - nobody knew it was me. God is the one that matters. Promotion doesn't come from people; it comes from the Lord. The scripture says he lifts up one and sets down another. Can you handle the weight of glory? Can God trust you with more favor, more resources? Are you passing these tests?

A friend has some lemon trees in his backyard, and one of them had so many lemons on it that a couple of the branches started to touch the ground. There were five or six big lemons at the end of this small branch, about a half an inch in diameter. Because the branches couldn't carry the weight, the lemons didn't develop properly. And sometimes we're wondering: why we're not seeing more fruit? Why won't God give me more influence, more favor, more opportunity? It may be because our branches can't carry the weight right now. If God gives you 10 lemons, but your branch can only sustain three it's not a blessing it's a burden. Instead of focusing on the fruit, if you focus on developing your branches, getting stronger, being a person of excellence, having integrity, doing the right thing when nobody is watching, treating people with respect, giving God praise when you could be complaining, because your character is getting stronger, your roots are going down deeper, you'll be able to handle the weight of the fruit.

David said in Psalm 1:3, when you keep God first place "You will be like a tree planted by the waters, that brings forth fruit in its season". It doesn't say it's going to bring forth fruit year-round. It's not healthy for that lemon tree to bear fruit all the time, it can't sustain that. Yes, we love harvest season, we love when we're seeing favor, prayers answered, new opportunities - that's great, but every season is not harvest. We may not like it, but the dry season is a blessing. The dry season is necessary. Without the leaves coming off the tree would never develop new buds. In the dry season it looks like the tree is dead: no fruit, no leaves, branches are bare. You could think: this tree is done; it's seen its best days. The truth is in the dry something is happening that you can't see, the tree is gathering up sap, the roots are going down deeper, it's being prepared to handle more fruit in the rainy season. If there weren't these different seasons the tree wouldn't reach its full potential.

Don't complain about the winter seasons in your life, the times you don't see any growth, you're stuck at the same level at work, nothing changes in your relationship, you're still single, your health is not improving. "Well, what's wrong? Where is all the fruit"? Nothing is wrong - you're in this season of progress and stretching.

You can't see it, but your branches are getting bigger. The fruit you've seen in the past, success, the favor, the influence, if that's all there was then you would have kept producing at the same level. The fact that you're in gathering strength is a sign that God has more in store, he has bigger opportunities, more favor, greater honor. Now, keep a good attitude in this season when you're not being recognized, not getting the credit, not seeing growth - something is happening on the inside. God is getting you prepared.

Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ". One translation says, "I can do all seasons through Christ". You may be in a dry season, not seeing the favor you've seen in the past. Instead of complaining, try a different approach, "Lord, I thank you that I can do all seasons. I can do the rainy season, and I can do the dry season. Some people’s health is in full crisis in the rainy season and in full health in the dry season; that is not a blessing. Every season favors you and adapts to you. You can do harvest, and you can do planting. You can do this season taking care of your elderly parents, you can do this season when you are not being treated right, where you are dealing with this illness".

In those dry seasons like a tree, you're gathering up sap, you're getting stronger, your character is being developed. You're learning to trust God in a greater way. All that is getting you prepared to carry the weight of glory, the weight of blessing, the weight of influence. You wouldn't be in the dry season; you wouldn't be facing this difficulty if God didn't have something bigger coming. If you were going to keep producing the same amount of fruit God would leave you alone. The fact that your branches are bare, the fruit is gone, there are no leaves, that's a sure sign that increase is coming.

David said, "You're going to bear fruit in your season". And it may be a dry season now in your life, but I sense in my spirit - you're on the verge of a new season. You passed that test, you've done the right thing when it was hard, you stayed in faith when life didn't make sense, now you're ready to carry the weight of glory. God is about to do a new thing, this next season is going to be something you've never seen favor, opportunity, influence, greater than you've imagined. None of us like difficulties, but when you understand that without the winter seasons you can't see growth, greater fruit, then you don't complain. You realize: God is getting you prepared to handle greater weight.

Now thoughts will tell you "Winter is permanent. You'll never meet the right person; it's been too long. You'll never get well, never come out of debt". Don't believe those lies, winter always gives way to spring. Your harvest season is coming. God is watching you. He sees you going the extra mile, he sees you working hard, making sacrifices, nobody thanking you. He sees you fighting that illness, the lonely nights, praising when you could be complaining, giving when you're not seeing increase. You're going to come out of that lonely season, that unfair season, that barren season into a season of great joy, great favor, great health, great relationship, great opportunities. Because you pass these tests, you prove to God: you can handle the weight of glory, you're going to see him show out in your life.

This is what happened with David. At 17 years old he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but he didn't go to the palace, he went back to the shepherds’ fields to take care of sheep. He was hidden, nobody paid attention to him, it was lonely, boring, taking care of sheep when he knew he had big things in him. He could have slacked off, taken the easy way out, thought nobody's watching. If I lose a couple sheep big deal, nobody will know about it. No, David was a person of excellence. He did the right thing when no one was watching.

What you do in private will determine how high you will go in public. If you cut corners, slack off, do things half-heartedly, that's going to keep you from carrying the weight of what God has for you. You don't get stronger by taking the easy way out. You grow when you do things you don't like, the right thing when no one is watching, have a good attitude when you're not getting your way, when it's not fair. Your confidence will not be the limit of how high you go - your character will determine how high you go. There are a lot of talented, smart, capable people - talent may take you somewhere, but character is what will keep you there. Your character is more important than your confidence. What you do in private when no one is watching will determine how high God will take you.

David didn't like being in the shepherds’ fields, you know, he was looked down on by his family, rejected by his father, but you never read where he complained, where he got bitter. He kept doing the right thing year after year. He had to prove to God that he would take care of those sheep, before God would trust him to take care of his people, the Israelites. Every day David was in the shepherds’ fields, nothing exciting, no sign of things changing, but something was happening on the inside - David was growing, getting stronger, developing character. He was proving to God that he could be trusted. He didn't like that winter season where he was hidden, but it was necessary. Without that time of proving he wouldn't have been able to carry the weight of glory, the weight of favor that God was going to give him.

If God is going to trust you with favor, influence, authority, you have to be a good steward of it. You don't prove that when you have it, you prove it in small things, in your private life, in how you treat people that can't do anything for you, how respectful you are to your spouse, your family. If you're harsh and condescending with the people you love, how can God trust you with greater influence?

-GSW-

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