My brother lifts weights. Day by day... to see the progress he’s making in his physical appearance is pretty inspiring to watch — sometimes my muscles cringe at the thought of weightlifting!
Lifting weights isn’t for everyone... I’ve come to discover that you have those who lift weights, and those who don’t. It obviously isn’t for those who don’t lift... but before you start to celebrate, shouting from rooftops that you don’t need to workout, etc. hear me out.
EVERYONE CAN BECOME A WEIGHTLIFTER... at which point, weightlifting is for you!
(I know. Just when you thought you were off the hook.)
You see, you may have no desire whatsoever to lift weights, but once you begin, your desires change. You find yourself wanting to do things that you’d have never dreamed of doing before — you’re different now!
OK ... Let’s move out of the gym and into our hearts for a moment...
We lift weights everyday. We all experience struggle. Heartache. Sickness. Betrayal. Myriad physical and mental weights are placed upon our barbells each and everyday. Even those who love lifting weights... don’t like these kind of weights. They wear you out, on the inside, trust me... that wears you down in a different way.
Our verse today tells us of a “weight of glory“ which we will hold, and we are encouraged not to lose heart because, “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison...”
We are being renewed! You see the old weightlifting slogan, “NO PAIN, NO GAIN” actually has some truth to it: Even in this pain we are being renewed... and prepared to receive a weight of glory beyond all comparison! I pray that brings you relief, even in the midst of the weight you carry today.
A weight of GLORY... not pain, not sickness, etc. I want you to hear that today. The weight of GLORY you will experience goes beyond all of the other weights you carry, or have ever carried before! And it is a good weight...a GLORIOUS weight.
Also, the pain we experience in the here and now is TEMPORARY... the weight of glory will be ETERNAL, everlasting — you’ll never have to worry about bearing any other weight, ever again! God has glorious things in store for us!
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