Grace For The Journey

  I fondly remember singing a wonderful hymn in my youth with the title, “He is So Precious to Me.”   The first verse and chorus go like this:

 So precious is Jesus, my Savior, my King,

  His praise all the day long with rapture I sing.

To Him in my weakness for strength I can cling,

  For He is so precious to me.

For He is so precious to me,

  For He is so precious to me.

’Tis heaven below, my Redeemer to know,

  For He is so precious to me.

That hymn is based on 1 Peter 2:7, “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious.”

 Christ is precious to all who know Him.

The word “precious” means “highly valued or esteemed.”  It is an apt term to describe how believers think about their Savior and Lord.

Peter loved to use the word “precious” in his epistles.  J. Vernon McGee comments: “I think it is so interesting that Simon Peter, the big, rugged fisherman, uses the word precious. We think of it as a word used in the vocabulary of women, but whenever Peter speaks of Christ or of His blood or any part about Him, he uses the word precious.”

Peter uses this word in the following ways . . . He speaks of . . .

• Precious Trials – “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes” (1 Peter 1:7).
• Precious Blood – “Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18, 19).
• Precious Corner Stone – “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, chosen of God, and precious… a chief corner stone, elect, precious” (1 Peter 2:4, 6).
• Precious Faith – “To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1).
• Precious Promises – “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).

The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 2 4, that . . .

God the Father regards His Son as precious (1 Peter 2:4)

And so do believers (1 Peter 2:7).

The world may not rightly value the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Father and those who have been saved by Him do!

Our estimation of Christ is the same as that of the Father’s.

He is precious beyond calculation!

One writer says, “Our estimation of other objects is often governed by public opinion, but we must appreciate Christ, not by what men think of him, but by what he is in the account of God… and if we are of God, we shall be of God’s mind; he that is precious to God will be so to us.”  People and things are said to be precious to us; yet, how much more precious to us should things of a spiritual nature be.

We need to ask ourselves . . .

Is the Lord Jesus precious to me?

What is my estimation of Him?

Do I view Jesus like the men of the world who reject Him . . .

Or do I view Jesus like God does, who regards Him as precious?

We have every reason to regard him as precious!

• He is good and gracious;
• His blood atones for our sins;
• He gives us eternal life;
• Hhe cares for us and bids us to cast our cares upon Him!

Matthew Henry said, “Jesus Christ is exceedingly precious to all the faithful.  The majesty and grandeur of his person, the dignity of his office, his near relation, his wonderful works, his immense love – everything engages the faithful to the highest esteem and respect for Jesus Christ.”

The Lord of the Rings trilogy has popularized an expression that is relevant to 1 Peter 2:7.  It comes from the lips of Gollum, formerly known as Smeagol.  He was desperate to have the ring which was once in his possession.  He continually refers to it as, “my precious.”  The ring consumed him.  It was the most valuable thing to him but it led to his destruction.

There are many people like Gollum today.  Their eye is fixed on some material thing and they are ever thinking, “My precious; my precious.”

But there is no one dearer and more precious than the Lord Jesus Christ.

He who acknowledges that Christ is precious and turns to Him will be saved.

The greatest treasure of all is Christ.

He is the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46).

Get rid of everything else

In your affections

And

Esteem Him as precious!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”