In Looking Unto Jesus Isaac Ambrose says, “We must take off our mind from everything which might divert us in our Christian race from looking unto Jesus.”

The allure of this world and indwelling sin within our heart will motivate the mind’s eye to be fascinated with things other than Christ. Therefore, we must do the work of turning from the fleeting pleasures of this world to the everlasting pleasures of Christ. It’s only then that we will begin truly to know, consider, desire, hope, believe, love, enjoy, and be conformed to Christ.

What can help us to look off all other things? Ambrose provides six of them.

6 DIRECTIONS FOR HOW TO LOOK OFF ALL OTHER THINGS

1. Study every day more and more the vanity of this world. Read Ecclesiastes often to learn the lesson of striving after the wind. Men often look on such strivings through a false glass and thus don’t seem them as being the vapors that they are. Learning of this vanity shows worldly honor and respect to be little more than bubbles soon to pop.
2. Converse but little with any evil thing this side of Christ. Have as little to do with the sinful pleasure, profits, riches, and manners of the world as much as you can. The less the better. Ambrose says, “Things of this world have a glutinous quality; if you let the heart lie any while amongst them, it will cleave unto them, and if it once cleave to them there will be no way, but either repentance or hell-fire must part them.”
3. Be more and better acquainted with Christ. Get more tastes of Christ and heaven and the earth will become more bitter to the soul. When Christ is in view all the world begins to fade and collapse in comparison. “The glory of Christ will darken all other things in the world.”
4. Set before your heart the example of such saints who accounted themselves as pilgrims and strangers on the earth. When you read about those saints of old who expectantly wandered through their wilderness condition, don’t be surprised to find your heart being shaken off earthly things.
5. Go in your meditations to heaven and stay there a while. The mind that is in heaven cannot dwell among earthly things. The eyes that take in a survey of heaven and heavenly things have no time to fix his eyes on such poor things below.
6. Cry mightily unto God that he would take of your eyes off the world. If the heart bends down to earth, go to God to raise it up towards heaven. Cry out with the psalmist in 119:37, “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.”

AN IMPLICATION FOR ORDINARY MINISTERS

Dear pastor, you have a unique, God-given chance each week to help your congregation look off the world and look up to Christ. As you ascend to the sacred desk you must do so with an aim to preach Christ and Him crucified.

Lift Him up! Lift Him up in all His glory, majesty, power, and beauty and watch the world fade away from your congregation’s eyes. Pray for the Spirit to shine forth the brilliance of Christ in your explanations and exclamations. Pray for the Spirit to inflame your heart with love for Christ that the cold and worldly souls melt under your proclamation of the Savior.

Apply Ambrose’s directions to your own life so that when you stand behind the sacred desk your you soul appears blessedly burned from seeing the Son.

Lift Him up! Lift Him up in your preaching, so that in looking unto Jesus your people might find life.