How Much Does Your Glory Weigh?

“Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” II Corinthians 4:17


A few days ago I wrote a blog on trouble and the greatness of our God to be a very present help in that trouble. Today I am going to look at how our great God can turn our trouble into good (Rom.8:28) and glory for us – if we trust Him (Prove.3:5, 6). In II Corinthians 4:17, it says that our light (“easy”) trouble (comparatively speaking to Christ’s suffering) is but for a moment (“quickly passing”) – all of life is brief. God wants to use even the light trouble that is passing through our life, to “work out” and finish in us an “exceeding weight (abundance)” of glory (“honor”).

I have made bread for years, in fact, I have some rising now to be baked later. I won’t give all the details to making bread but I would like to share about the kneading process. Kneading is like the “working out” mentioned above. The yeast in the dough will cause the dough to rise to loaf size. The dough starts being quite small, but as you knead it thoroughly, mixing the yeast throughout the dough and “working out” all the air pockets, which cause holes and poor texture of the bread, then set it aside to rise, it will rise to double in size. When it swells to double size it is divided into loaf size pieces and kneaded again; crushing and folding, crushing and folding, “working out” all the air pockets. Then it is put into desired pans to rise again. After the dough has risen double again, it is time to bake it. If everything works as it should, the finished bread is quite ‘glorious.’ The baker always gets the glory and honor for the wonderful finished product.

This II Corinthians scripture is a good analogy to what the kneading does for the bread. Jesus is the ‘life maker’ and uses the troubles in our lives to “work out” the self-will and pride out of our life, then He folds us in His love. Our self-righteousness and independence are crushed and then folded in His love. This crushing and folding with circumstances and love will in eternity bring out “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” When finished the “life maker” will receive an abundance of honor and glory for such a perfected life and we will receive an abundance of glory for letting the crushing do its work. This eternal glory is why we are told to rejoice in tribulation (I Pet.1:6-7). Paul repeated this directive in Phil.4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!”

To the world rejoicing in your trouble is ludicrous, but we are not of this world. We have a different mindset – a mindset of eternal things and the joys to come. If we thought this world with all of its troubles was all there was, we would truly be hopeless and most miserable (I Cor.15:19).

Jesus, thanks for the crushing, and thanks for the loving that follows. Thanks for the perfecting of this old self. Remind us to rejoice in You in the midst of our trouble and for the hope of that eternal weight of glory!

How much does your glory weigh?