Hunger Pains
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 2 Corinthians 4:17
My sister loves to tell the story about me throwing a fit on our kitchen floor when I was a little kid. My dad would be cooking supper, but apparently I was so hungry and starving that I needed a snack just to survive. When my dad would deny me this because it would ruin my supper, I would crumple into the floor in agony and complain of impending death if I did not obtain a cookie.
I don’t quite remember it that way; however, I do believe this sometimes describes how we interact with the Lord. I have been pondering 2 Cor. 4:17 quite a bit as we are walking through 2 Corinthians, and what I love so much is this concept of eternal weight of glory. What does that really mean? Well, to fully understand that, we need to look at what Paul says before that.
Paul has been emphasizing grace and mercy from the Lord that has not only sustained him but sustains every believer, and that trials and troubles do come. He encourages us not to be overwhelmed by such things because they are light and momentary afflictions. The word light means something easy to bear and really not that heavy. Momentary means that they do not last. Your troubles have an expiration date.
I know it sometimes does not feel like our troubles are light and momentary, but Paul then reminds us of the goodness of God that is our inheritance. He calls it this Eternal Weight of Glory. The word weight does not mean heavy and hard to bear. It means there is this overwhelming nature and complete satisfaction and sufficiency we have never known. And it is brought about by the perfect nature, love, and unhindered union with Christ that we will experience in eternity.
How often do we act as I did as a kid when difficulty comes because of our fallen world? We want to crumple to the floor and demand that our immediate desire be met, and if not, our world is over. It is often because we are looking at the wrong thing. The unhealthy cookie of life is not what sustains us. It is the eternal weight of glory of God that is the complete meal that sustains us. So when hardships come, let us ponder and try to comprehend the eternal weight of God’s glory that is ours to come, and not settle for the floor of this world demanding a snack.
My sister loves to tell the story about me throwing a fit on our kitchen floor when I was a little kid. My dad would be cooking supper, but apparently I was so hungry and starving that I needed a snack just to survive. When my dad would deny me this because it would ruin my supper, I would crumple into the floor in agony and complain of impending death if I did not obtain a cookie.
I don’t quite remember it that way; however, I do believe this sometimes describes how we interact with the Lord. I have been pondering 2 Cor. 4:17 quite a bit as we are walking through 2 Corinthians, and what I love so much is this concept of eternal weight of glory. What does that really mean? Well, to fully understand that, we need to look at what Paul says before that.
Paul has been emphasizing grace and mercy from the Lord that has not only sustained him but sustains every believer, and that trials and troubles do come. He encourages us not to be overwhelmed by such things because they are light and momentary afflictions. The word light means something easy to bear and really not that heavy. Momentary means that they do not last. Your troubles have an expiration date.
I know it sometimes does not feel like our troubles are light and momentary, but Paul then reminds us of the goodness of God that is our inheritance. He calls it this Eternal Weight of Glory. The word weight does not mean heavy and hard to bear. It means there is this overwhelming nature and complete satisfaction and sufficiency we have never known. And it is brought about by the perfect nature, love, and unhindered union with Christ that we will experience in eternity.
How often do we act as I did as a kid when difficulty comes because of our fallen world? We want to crumple to the floor and demand that our immediate desire be met, and if not, our world is over. It is often because we are looking at the wrong thing. The unhealthy cookie of life is not what sustains us. It is the eternal weight of glory of God that is the complete meal that sustains us. So when hardships come, let us ponder and try to comprehend the eternal weight of God’s glory that is ours to come, and not settle for the floor of this world demanding a snack.
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