Meditating on the Glory and Love of Christ

Today I came across this helpful reminder from John Owen in The Glory of Christ:

I would urge you to prepare your minds continually for heavenly things by meditating seriously on the glory of the love of Christ.  This cannot be done if the mind is always full of earthly thoughts.  Do not be satisfied with general thoughts of the love of Christ but think of it in a more detailed way.

1. Consider whose love it is: the love of the Son of God who is also the Son of Man. As he is unique, so his love must be unique. 
2. Think of the wisdom, goodness and grace shown in the eternal acts of his divine nature and of the pity an love of his human nature in all that he did and suffered for us (see Ephesians 3:19; Hebrews 2:14, 15; Revelation 1:5). 
3. We deserved hatred, but, "in this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (John 4:10). 
4. What power this love has in its effect on our lives, enabling us to bear fruit to his glory.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom...Owen on Beholding Christ's Glory

"Some say they have a desire to behold the glory of Christ by faith, but when they begin to view this glory they find it too high and difficult. They are overcome, like the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. I admit that the weakness of out minds and our inability to understand much of the eternal glory Christ prevents us from keeping our thoughts in a steady and unbroken meditation for any length of time. Those who are not practised in the skill of holy meditation in general will not be able to meditate on this mystery in particular. But even so, when faith can no longer hold open the eyes of our understanding to think about the Sun of righteousness shining in his beauty, at least we can still, by faith, rest in holy admiration and love."

John Owen
The Glory of Christ

Praying Through Scripture

Have you ever wondered what exactly some people mean when they suggest that we should "pray through Scripture" and "meditate" upon it? If so, Dave Cover, Teaching Pastor at The Crossing Church in Columbia, Missouri (and one of my mentors from my collegiate days) gives us a helpful example.

In it, he highlights the benefits of committing Scripture to memory and encourages us all to memorize such passages as Psalm 23.

When you’re lying awake at night unable to sleep for whatever reason (restlessness, anxiety, worry, regret, etc.), you can meditate on and pray through Psalm 23 from memory. When you’re driving on your way to work and you’ve got that anxious feeling inside you—either because of trouble at home or at work or in life—you can meditate on and pray through Psalm 23 from memory. Cling to the presence of God and the promises of all that He is for you in Christ the same way King David did 3,000 years ago, and the same way believers have done ever since.

You can read Dave's whole post here.