My Life Work

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." - Philippians 3:10

While it is so hard to raise my mind to much contemplation of Christ, to profitable thoughts about Him, to an admiration of Him as He is portrayed in the Scriptures, and to that view of glory that transforms me into His image, yet by God's grace, and only that way, I shall fight every day to get that view of Him - a view my soul needs so desperately that there is nothing else it needs beside. I cannot even really know what that means "That I may know Him," because such a knowledge, while not too high (at least the beginnings of it, for the encouragement of everyone who has a desire for it), yet it ends in Heaven, it finds its fulness there, and the Scripture itself says that we know not what we shall be, but when we see Him, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. I only can know in part here, but when I see Him, I shall lay aside childish things for as full a revelation of Christ's beauty as God shall be pleased to give me for my everlasting blessedness and satisfaction. My goal then, or my life's work, is to know as much of Him as possible in this life, because if it is my happiness in eternity to behold Him in His glory, it must be no small portion of the happiness of this life to behold His glory as I am able. This glory of Christ is His beauty, His awesomeness, His majesty and everything about Him that attracts. And the true view of it is only found in the Scriptures, for they testify of Him, and set Him forth - they present Him as our beautiful Saviour. So, I shall be a student of the Word of God, for that purpose only, that I may know Him, that I may, through the Word, see the Sun of Righteousness, and look on His face who is altogether lovely. It is, as I said, so difficult to raise my thoughts to this great object, but I must do it, and if you read this, pray for me this prayer, and others like it:

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.