September 14, 2026 
Beholding the glory of Jesus!
John Owen
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!”
“That they may behold My glory” was the great desire of Jesus for His people. One of the greatest privileges of believers, both in this world and throughout eternity, consists in beholding the glory of Jesus.
What is the Christian called to behold? Not merely the blessings that Jesus gives, but Jesus Himself! Not merely forgiveness, peace, Heaven, or deliverance from judgment, but the glorious Person from whom every blessing flows. Jesus is the Sun in the firmament of Scripture. Every promise, every prophecy, and every doctrine of divine revelation shines with glory, because it reveals Him.
Here is the great tragedy of much professing Christianity: men want the benefits of Jesus without being captivated by the glory of Jesus. They desire Heaven, but not necessarily the holy beauty of the One who makes Heaven to be Heaven. They want salvation from sin, but have little desire to behold the glorious Savior.
The true believer, however, has been given eyes to see. By faith he beholds something of the glory of Jesus even now. His sight is dim and imperfect. Sometimes the Savior seems hidden behind clouds. Sometimes the believer searches for Him and cannot find Him. Yet there are moments when faith sees His beauty, love, and majesty with such sweetness, that the soul cries out for more.
The heart touched by the love of Jesus, is like the needle touched by the lodestone. It cannot remain still. It is drawn toward its center. In the same way, the soul that has truly tasted the glory of Jesus cannot be satisfied with the world. It pants after Jesus. It seeks Him in Scripture. It calls upon Him in prayer. It meditates upon His glorious perfections. It longs to see His beauteous face.
Here is the transforming power of this heavenly contemplation: when faith beholds the glorious Jesus, the soul is transformed into His likeness. The world becomes less attractive. Sin becomes more hateful. Holiness becomes more desirable. Earthly treasures lose their glitter. The heart becomes detached from the passing vanities of time, and increasingly fixed upon the wondrous glory of Jesus.
Believer, behold Him!
When your heart is troubled, behold His glory.
When the world disappoints you, behold His glory.
When sin grieves you, behold His glory.
When death approaches, behold His glory.
When you cannot understand His providence, behold His glory.
When your faith is weak and your heart is cold, return again to the Scriptures and look upon the One whom Scripture reveals.
The day is coming when faith will give way to sight. The clouds will disappear. The veil will be removed. The darkness will flee. The redeemed will see Jesus in His glory. We shall behold the King in His beauty. We shall be forever with Him. And the sight of His glory will never grow dim, never become wearisome, and never cease to satisfy.
This is Heaven — to behold Jesus.
This is blessedness — to behold Jesus.
This is the hope of the believer — to behold Jesus.
And this is the supreme calling of the Christian life now — by faith, to behold His glory.
The ultimate destiny of the redeemed is to see Jesus as He is — and this everlasting vision will be our eternal blessedness.
Oh, may God so unveil the glory of Jesus to our hearts, that we become weary of everything that competes with Him, satisfied with nothing less than Him, and increasingly conformed to Him — until faith becomes sight, and we behold His glory forever!
Jesus is the Sun in the firmament of Scripture.” Our brightest Morning Star! Beholding His glory, in real time and in person, is something humans cannot comprehend. Maybe it is why Scripture says,
‘No eye hath seen or heard all God has prepared for us…” I love these words, Steve. Makes me long for His glorious return! blessings
The day is coming and oh what a glorious day that will be. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Amen, Ellen! What a glorious day that will be indeed. There are so many things we can look forward to in this life, but nothing compares with the moment when faith becomes sight and we finally behold Jesus face to face. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Amen! What a beautiful reminder that the greatest gift is not simply what Jesus gives us, but Jesus Himself. May our hearts continually long to behold His glory!
Amen, Mary. That really is the heart of it, isn’t it? We can be incredibly thankful for every blessing Jesus gives us, but the greatest gift is Jesus Himself. Everything else flows from Him. My prayer is that we would become increasingly captivated by Christ Himself rather than simply by what He can give us. What a privilege it will be to behold His glory forever!
From glory to glory, Steve. Amen 🙂
How I long for the day when faith will be made sight, when the glory of our Risen Savior is for us to see in its fullness. Paul was so struck by seeing the glorified Jesus that it changed everything for him, and gave him what he needed to tolerate the persecution and pain he endured for the sake of his Lord. Yes, the glory of Jesus is what we should be focusing on. Thanks for this.
Thank you Dayle. Yes, Paul’s encounter with the glorified Jesus really is such a powerful example of how encountering Christ changes everything. When I was reading this post and then preparing to post it, I was really struck by the thought that the Christian life is not ultimately about all the things Jesus gives us, wonderful though those blessings are, but about Jesus Himself. What a day it will be when faith finally becomes sight and we behold our risen Saviour in all His glory! Until then, we keep our eyes fixed on Him through His Word and trust Him through whatever comes.
Thank you for commenting. Beatific Blessings, Steve