The world loses its painted beauty

John Owen

(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)

John 17:24, "Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me may be with me where I am, that they may behold My glory that you have given Me, because you loved Me before the foundation of the world."

What is the supreme desire of a redeemed soul? It is not merely to escape the torments of Hell, or to obtain the unspeakable blessings of Heaven. It is to see Jesus, and to behold His glory! This is the great privilege for which Jesus prayed for His people: "that they may behold My glory." The hearts of true believers, once touched by the love of Jesus, are like a compass needle attracted toward its object. They cannot be finally satisfied with the world, for their souls have been awakened to the beauty of their Savior.

But there is a solemn test here. No one will behold the glory of Jesus by sight in Heaven, who has not, in some measure, beheld His glory by faith on earth. Heaven is not the beginning of our love for Jesus -- it is the perfection of it. A man may say that he wants to go to Heaven, but if he has no present delight in Jesus, no hunger to know Him, no desire to contemplate His glory -- then he has reason to examine whether his hope is merely an imagination.

What then, did the early Christians behold in Jesus? Not earthly grandeur. He had no royal splendor, worldly magnificence, or outward beauty to attract the natural heart. They saw His glory as He was "full of grace and truth." They saw it by faith. They saw in Him the glory of His person, and the glory of His grace in salvation.

And this beholding is transforming. As we contemplate His glory, we are changed into His likeness. Our love for Him grows stronger, our faith becomes more vigorous, our grip upon the momentary trifles of earth loosens, and our hearts are brought into a heavenly frame. The world loses its painted beauty, when the soul begins to see the surpassing worth and loveliness of Jesus.

Believer, meditate upon Jesus! Let Him occupy the galleries of your heart. Turn your eyes from the fading trifles of this present world, and fix them upon the One whose glory will never fade. Here, by faith, you behold Him darkly; there, by sight, you shall behold Him face to face. Here, you know Him in part; there, you shall see Him as He is. And when at last you stand in His presence, the deepest longing of your redeemed soul will be perfectly and eternally fulfilled, and you will behold His glory!

"Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is!" 1 John 3:2

  . . .

Today's choice AI resource: To judge, or not to judge