"An Eternal Weight of Glory Beyond All Comparison"

“So we do not lose heart. 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” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

God really does bless even small faithfulness. He spoke so clearly to me and gave me such comfort through His powerful Word. I really want to keep up with the most popular Biblical counsellings books, and this book, pictured above, topped last years list. I really did not have time to finish the book When Sinners Say ‘I do’ this weekend, but I chose to finish the book anyway and I am so glad that I did. The last chapter is about when sinners say goodbye. I guess with all the illnesses Jackson has gotten, I can get into a “woe is me” kind of attitude. This suffering here on earth is just momentary, and the glory of eternity is beyond all comparison, so much so that Paul could not even come up with a word for it. Am I really thinking and living for eternity and all its glory?

Here are a couple points, taken directly from this last chapter, that I think will help you, because we all suffer.

1. My Loss is Slight. Paul here in 1 Corinthians does not mean “light” as easy or painless (John Piper affirms) but he means that “compared to the weight of glory coming, they are like feathers on a scale.” The death of a spouse is a defining moment that will be with us until we die, but compared to what we are headed for, “it is a slight change of course in the ocean of eternity.” I do not know about you, but these words give me such comfort when I think that if Jackson is always going to be sick then I am never going to be able to do minister to the children and parents at First Baptist or get to know them at all. Then of course I get frustrated but I remember that Jackson is sick for a reason. God is allowing him to be sick for my good and His glory even though I cannot fully understand it right now.
2. My Trial is Momentary. Harvey explains that no trial seems momentary. There is a consuming quality that infects every trial. God urges us and invites us to view this trial from a different point of view! “When measured by eternity, this mortal life is but a breath, a vapor, a suspended cloud that quickly dissipates. Whatever trial you are in, it will end, and one day you will see it for what it truly is: momentary and slight.” I can attest these words. When we were going through fire and all the consequence of the fire, I thought that my life would never get back to normal. Now, it has not even been a year since we had the fire, and it already seems like a vapor. The other thing that helps me so much when I am going through a trial is that I try to realize how powerful my thought life is. If I choose to believe and view this trial as something that God is allowing to happen (for my good and His glory) it makes all the difference in the world. I do not know about you, but whenever I go through a trial my prayer life is the best it has ever been and isn’t that making me more like Christ?
3. My Loss Is Preparatory. God invites us to view the pain of loss as preparation for something incomprehensible. “Our present loss doesn’t simply open the door to glory, it produces glory. This slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17) What is more, this glory is beyond all comparison. What a spouse who remains can look forward to is Incomparable glory.

The last paragraph is this book is so beautifully put; I have to write it all out here:

“As real as our marriages are to us on this earth they are just a shadow of the reality we will experience when Christ comes to claim his bride. Then we will have a wedding feast to celebrate our union with Christ that is unlike any feast that has ever been celebrated before. The entire family of Christ will be there –not one missing from the whole earth. The joy at that feast will not be marred by sin, struggle, pain, or disappointment. We will be forever with Christ in our new home. What glory is set before us as sinners who said, “I do.”

I would highly recommend this book! When Sinners Say, ‘I do’ by Dave Harvey and you can get it at Westminster Bookstore for a great price. Click here:

http://www.wtsbooks.com/