Glory of Christ by John Owen (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 3 (The glory of Christ in the mysterious constitution of his person).
Thus, Owen gives us directions as to how to perform our duty of beholding the glory of Christ in his person. We must:
(i) get it fixed on our souls and in our minds, that this glory of Christ in the divine constitution of his person is the best, the most noble, useful, beneficial object that we can be conversant about in our thoughts, or cleave unto in our affections;
(ii) diligently study the Scripture, and the revelations that are made of this glory of Christ therein;
(iii) having attained the light of the knowledge of the glory of Christ from the Scripture, or by the dispensation of the truth in the preaching of the gospel, we would esteem it our duty frequently to meditate thereon.;
(iv) let our occasional thoughts of Christ be many, and multiplied every day. He is not far from us; we may make a speedy address unto him at any time;
(v) make sure all our thoughts concerning Christ and his glory should be accompanied with admiration, adoration, and thanksgiving.
I found helpful the encouragement to let my thoughts regularly be about Christ: 'Let your occasional thoughts of Christ be many, and multiplied every day. He is not far from us; we may make a speedy address unto him at any time. So the apostle informs us, Rom. x. 6–8, “Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above;) or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)” For “the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart.” The things that Christ did were done at a distance from us, and they are long since past. But, saith the apostle, “The word” of the Gospel wherein these things are revealed, and whereby an application is made of them unto our souls, is nigh unto us, even in our hearts; that is, if we are true believers, and have mixed the word with faith, — and so it exhibiteth Christ and all the benefits of his mediation unto us. If, therefore, this word is in our hearts, Christ is nigh unto us. If we turn at any time into ourselves to converse with the word that abideth in us, there we shall find him ready to receive us into communion with himself; that is, in the light of the knowledge of Christ which we have by the word, we may have sudden, occasional thoughts of him continually: and where our minds and affections are so filled with other things that we are not ready for converse with him who is thus nigh unto us by the word, we are spiritually indisposed.'
To my shame, too much of my day to day thinking concerns matters other than Christ.
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 4 (The glory of Christ in his susception of the office of a mediator - first in his condescension).
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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