Get in the Glory
Glory, as used in the Old Testament, comes from the Hebrew word "kabad". It means "to be heavy and weighed down".
Throughout the Old Testament, whenever the word "glory" is used to
describe the presence of God, it is always in a positive sense. God wanted to
show His approval and blessing, so He filled the house like a thick cloud of
smoke. Even today, He wants to give us the same assurance that He cares for and
approves of us.
When God sent His glory, it meant that everything good was being poured out. It means that those standing in His presence were being "weighed down" with good things measure by God's abundance.
Have you ever been in a place when the glory of God came down? Perhaps you felt something physically, or may be you just danced and shouted for joy. Perhaps tears just rolled down your cheeks onto the floor. Many people call these "tears of joy", but it's actually the glory of God upon you and joy is associated with that experience.
But when it is all over, I want you to keep in mind what "glory" means. God brought many good things with Him, and He wants to weigh us down with them. He desires that we have "all things that pertain to life and godliness," and He sends His glory to affirm and encourage us (see 2 Peter 1:3).
Jesus instructed us to take His yoke (weight) upon us (Matthew 11:29) so that we would find rest from the things that burden us. He doesn't want us plagued by frustration.
In other words, be weighed down with the glory of God. He wants us heavy in healing, heavy in joy, heavy in love and peace. David said that in His presence (glory) is fullness (heaviness) of joy. (See Psalms 16:11)
Most of the time, we are content just to go to church, do a little bunny hop, and when its all over, we leave the same way we came. That's because we don't get in the glory. We trade the "glory" for predictability and religious conformity, which makes us nothing but predictable religious conformers who consistently miss the blessings of God's glory.
When God comes, He doesn't just bring a good thrill to makes us run, sweat and speak in tongues. I am not condemning those things; they certainly have their rightful place. But the glory comes to weigh us down with as much as we can carry out of His heavenly storehouse.
When we leave His presence, we should be glowing like Moses. God's presence and power should be so heavy on us, that our afflictions are light in comparison.
Glory can also be seen in a negative sense. When we are weighed down with guilt and confusion, that is a glory too. But it is not God's glory; it's the glory of the devil. Satan has a weight that we must lay aside, otherwise we will miss the perfect work that patience has in helping us finish this race in victory (see Hebrews 12:1; James 1:3).
If you go to church night after night, year after year, and you still don't have the power to live by faith, you're simply missing the glory. Paul prayed that we may be strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (or weight of God's glory) resulting in all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness (see Colossians 1:11).
As long as you allow weakness, shame, fear and discouragement to ride your back, they will keep you out of the glory. Listen, we don't have time to be weak anymore. It is time to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might Ephesians 6:10.
When John spoke of Jesus, he said we beheld His glory. Jesus demonstrated what it meant to be full of and weighed down with the Glory of God. He was "full of grace and truth" John 1:14. When God pours out His glory on us, it is because we have opened our hearts to "the words of His grace", and our footsteps are walking in the path of truth.
Even when we pay tithes and offerings, the windows of heaven are opened up to pour us out such a blessing; we won't have room enough to receive it. The glory will be so heavy, so full, and so abundant, that we will have to give it away.
God had given us all things richly to enjoy (see 1 Timothy 6:17). He satisfies our mouth with good- things (Psalms 103:5). God wants our life to be full of His presence, but we've got to get in the glory. Once we do, our life will never be the same again.
By: Edmund Brown