Day #169 - Weighty Glory

The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Photo by Alejandro Ortiz on Unsplash

Have you ever had to do something unpleasant that yields great results?

I suppose that we could argue weight lifting, cleaning, studying and other various habits may seem unpleasant on the one hand because they involve pain, sweat and stress but yield a good result for us. I think this is one thing that confuses a lot of people, even good Christian people. Something can feel great and be the worst for us, even sinful or evil. And on the other hand, something can feel very difficult and it can be the best thing for us.

Paul says that the key to weighty glory or as the NIV says, “eternal glory that far outweighs them all,” is our light and momentary troubles. Paul starts this passage I want to share at length below with the reality that we are jars of clay but we contain treasure within us. We are containers for “the Presence,” the glory and power of God. Then he goes on to list the hardships we endure, but with a hopeful twist and connects our present sufferings with a greater glory as we fix our eyes on the unseen and eternal. Let the Scripture’s presence soaked words wash over you from 2 Corinthians 4:7-18:

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Our suffering, hardships and troubles are working for us who have our eyes fixed on eternal things. So it is with those of “the Presence.” We contain this deposit of His glory in our earthly bodies, we endure hardship for Jesus Christ and this causes an overflow of thanksgiving. Ultimately what happens to us in our earthly existence is working for us a greater glory than we have ever known.

Lord Jesus, You are worthy! You have given me this glory, Your power in me. I am just a jar of clay but I contain a deposit of Your eternal glory. In all that I endure, You are with me. I get knocked down at times, but I am not knocked out. There is redemption in my suffering and it is working for me an eternal weight of glory that surpasses all these temporal hardships. I fix my eyes on You Jesus and what is unseen. In Your name, amen.