The story of Christ’s death has been told many times. However, there are details about the last hours of our Lord’s life that you may not be aware of or have considered for some time.
None of the choices are trivial. Life has meaning. It is not a series of unrelated events that end when we die. God created us for a purpose. Without God life has no purpose and without purpose life has no meaning.1
Reading Scripture will ensure we know God’s will in all aspects of our lives. It will help us determine what choices fulfill His purpose. Yet knowing the will of God is only half the journey. Every day we must choose to live out the faith through our actions.
The Bible says, “Without actions, faith is useless. Removing action from faith is like removing breath from a body. All you have left is a corpse.”2
Day in and day out we fight a spiritual battle that requires us to put aside personal longings and show our faith by accepting God’s perfect will.
There is an expression in Scripture that describes the joy and challenge of this Christian life. It is called The Weight of Glory. This special term is used to encourage us to consider the “weight” of Christian responsibility in relation to the “glory” that awaits us.
The Bible says, “Our temporary trials are producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparisons. We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.”3
Choosing to live out the faith will bring about many trials. God wants us to remember the weight of our responsibility cannot compare to the eternal glory to come. Let us be encouraged on this journey by remembering what is necessary in bearing the weight of glory.
In order to succeed we must work hard. Athletes train to overcome their competition. They discipline their bodies through conditioning and practice. They train their minds to handle pressure in order to prevent it from affecting their performance. The Christian life is very similar to an athlete’s. The Apostle Paul even compared it to the athletes that competed in the ancient Olympics.
The apostle wrote, “Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we do it for an imperishable crown.”4
As Christians we have chosen to run the race for Christ. This requires preparing for battle. We are in a war of good versus evil.
To run the race successfully, spiritual training is necessary. The basis for preparation is to simply have faith.
We may rightly ask, “What is faith?” Faith is not found on the internet, it is not on a store shelf with the ingredients printed on the back, nor is it listed on the stock market. Faith is that spiritual commodity that opens all doors, solves all problems and defeats every enemy.
Faith is simply believing in God and what He has written. It is knowing He is there with each of us when we ask him; anytime, anywhere. Faith begins with knowledge; ‘God’ has given us His personal autobiography, the Bible. It is not a dust collector or a Dear John letter that everyone fears to open. The Bible is a letter of love; a guide to physical, mental and spiritual success.5
Faith sets us apart from unbelievers. It prepares us to stand out by accepting the challenges of the Christian life. We love our neighbors, endure suffering for the sake of the gospel and win others to Christ through our actions.
From the day we are born until the day we die we are running a race. Let us press on throughout our time on earth to finish the race.
At the end of his life, the Apostle Paul reflected on his Christian work in these words, “The time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”6
The Christian lifestyle is completely different than any other. It is so different that Jesus said we would stand out. The Lord called us the, “salt of the earth” and the, “light of the world.”7
Popular culture, however, labels Christians as narrow-minded. It tells us our faith is outdated and encourages us to embrace the age we are living in. Why should we embrace something that will not last? History is filled with accounts of the rise and fall of kingdoms. Through it all, the God of the Bible and His Words have endured. Time and again God’s truth has stood against overwhelming odds. It has proved that, “moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong and right is right even if nobody is right.”8
Following God does not put us behind the times, but ahead of them. When we surrender ourselves to the will of God we are guaranteed hope and prosperity.
The Bible says, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”9 The tribulations and struggles of life are actually a source of joy for Christians. Scripture assures us it is for the building up of our character.
The Bible says, “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”10
In order to persevere, in order to succeed we must keep our eyes focused on the finish line. Our hearts must be set on eternity. Throughout his ministry the Apostle Paul was beaten, whipped, stoned and imprisoned. He persevered by looking ahead. The Apostle encouraged believers with these words: “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”11
Just like Paul, we can look forward to what lies ahead. Jesus has promised a place for every believer in His Kingdom,12 a place that Scripture describes as indescribable.
The Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”13
However, in order to know the weight of glory we must run the race successfully by accepting the hardships and tribulations that come with this temporary life. Our behavior must be acceptable to the Lord. We have to love our neighbors and be Christ-like in our actions. We must follow the teachings Jesus taught and strive to win souls for Him.
If we want to make heaven our final destination, if you and I want to know the peace and the love of God, we will have to press on and finish the course in order to be with Him in His kingdom.14
In conclusion let us recall the responsibilities and blessings of the Christian life:
When you endure insults for your faith…this is the weight of glory.
When you face hardships for the sake of the Gospel…this is the weight of glory.
When you stand firm in your belief in spite of popular culture…this is the weight of glory.
When you feel the peace of God in spite of insults…this is weight of glory.
When you find comfort in the words of Scripture…this is the weight of glory.
And…at the end of your life when you hear the words:
“Well done good and faithful servant enter into my rest,”15
you will know the full weight of glory.
1 An excerpt taken from
Rick Warren’s, “The Purpose
Driven Life”
2 James 2:17 and 26
3 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
4 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
5 Proverbs chapter 3
6 2 Timothy 4:6-8
7 Matthew 5:13-14
8 A quote from Venerable
Fulton J. Sheen, 1953
9 Jeremiah 29:11
10 Romans 5:3-5
11 Philippians 3:13-14
12 John 14:3
13 1 Corinthians 2:9
14 A paraphrase of
Kathy Bernard’s work, “If I can
run the race”
15 Matthew 25:21
