Have you ever wondered why people seek glory (abundance, honor, splendor, reputation, dignity, the best seat)? Glory is the Hebrew word kabod and it means “weighty”, it is heavy and it was not meant for us to carry. Yet it comes with things we think we want. Our wants for glory are rooted in our lack of knowing the truth about who we really are.

Here is what happens. The enemy deceives us and when we believe his lies, it creates in us a deficit. Then he offers us glory to fill the vacuum he created. The glory then gets so heavy we can’t maintain what we gained. The weight crushes us and hurts others. When we are under pressure, when we are carrying any kind of weight, we say and do things that hurts other people. The enemy is never after just injuring you, he is an equal opportunity enemy. He goes after those you love as well.

It is no wonder the psalmist says “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of your loving kindness and truth (Psalm 115:1). The Lord loves us so much He does not want to put a weight on us we cannot carry. We were never meant to be ones who get glory. The beauty of the mystery of God is that Christ is in us and we are in Christ. People see the works of Christ in us and through us and they acknowledge that as they should. However, we are not meant to carry His glory, we are not built for that kind of pressure.

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” When we declare with the psalmist, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory…” we are walking with an easy yoke and a light burden, but if you want the glory, you will experience the pressure, the weight and the results of carrying something you were never created to carry. He alone is built to carry glory, so we sing, “You deserve the glory and the honor, so I lift my hands in worship and bless your holy name!”