TEXT:
‘Come to Christ, who is the living Foundation of Rock upon which God builds; though men have spurned him, he is very precious to God who has chosen him above all others’ (1 Peter 2:4 TLB).
When rugged fishermen write about their love for Jesus as their Saviour and Lord, it puts to shame Christians who are too embarrassed to even mention they have a faith.
The Apostle John wrote, ‘Who loved me!’ (John 13:23). In other words, “That Jesus could love me!” Three times Jesus asked Peter, ‘Do you love Me?’ (John 21:15-17), and three times, in front of the other disciples, he replied, ‘Yes Lord, You know that I love You’. This impetuous disciple also used the word, “Precious” several times in his epistles and Today’s Teaching focusses on these.
1. Precious Faith – ‘These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold’ (1 Peter 1:7 NLT)
How wonderful and valuable faith is. It is a gift from God1 and can work miracles for us and through us. Hebrews Chapter Eleven records some of the wonderful experiences of those who had faith, but the Bible is full of other examples.
The woman with the issue of blood2 had spent all her money on doctors but only got worse, but when faith made her touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she was instantly healed at no cost!
Faith is worth far more than gold. All the money in the world can only take us as far as death’s door. Wealth has to stay in the tomb (as grave-diggers discovered), but faith takes the believer beyond death into eternal life and that process starts the moment they are born again.
Believer, lift up your hands in praise and thank God who has given you such precious faith, to believe in Jesus and what He has done for you!
2. Precious Blood – ‘But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot’ (1 Peter 1:19)
Washing detergents claim to wash, “Whiter than white”, but what can take away the stain of sin? All the washing cannot, as Lady Macbeth3 discovered. Her hand washing was a sign of guilt. It spoke of a contamination that could never be washed away.
The following Bible verses should thrill us:
‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’ (Isaiah 1:18)
‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29)
No more hand-washing and no more guilt. Instead, thankfulness that the precious blood of Jesus has done what nothing else could do, remove our transgressions as far as the east is from the west.4
The communion celebration is so important to the believer, for it’s a reminder of the precious blood of Jesus.
3. Precious Jesus – ‘Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious’ (1 Peter 2:7)
Jesus is precious and that’s why I don’t like it when people use His name to curse and swear. Jesus said something amazing, ‘Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven’ (Matthew 12:32). How precious is that? I would find it hard to so quickly and freely forgive anyone insulting me.
Put Jesus to the test. In fact He has already forgiven your blasphemy. Now receive His forgiveness and you too will know He is precious, a friend who will stick closer to you than a brother.
Countless millions have rejected Him, but I have received Him and I’m not going to give Him up. Forty-Nine years ago this month I asked Him to be my Saviour and I have never wanted to go back on that decision. Jesus is precious to me!
4. Precious Gentle and Quiet Spirit – ‘Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God’ (1 Peter 3:4 TLB)
The last point was about Jesus, but this one is about us.
- Be Submissive
Although the context is about wives, the same is true for men, as other Bible verses make clear. ‘God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble’ (1 Peter 5:5). Do we find it difficult to submit, wanting our own way instead? The song goes, “I did it my way” but for the Christian it has to be “His” way.
- Be Modest
The world loves to show off and take clothes off without any shame, behaviour that not so long ago would have been frowned upon and had to be done in secret. What the world pities about Christianity, God finds precious, and we are called to please Him, not this world.
Peter wrote that people will think it strange when you won’t say it, think it, wear it, or enjoy it like others do, and ridicule you for it. Once we did act like everyone else, but not anymore because the hidden person of the heart has taken over and now controls what happens on the outside!
Give God something precious today by resisting temptation like Jesus did.
5. Precious Promises – ‘Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises’ (2 Peter 1:4 NIV)
Moses wrote, ‘The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us’ (Deuteronomy 29:29). The moment scripture was spoken and then written down, it changed from being a secret to being revealed.
The Bible has been written for our benefit. That’s why the devil tries so hard to stop us from reading and believing it. Once a truth gets into a believer, there’s no stopping how far they will go, even to the ends of the earth!
Start reading the New Testament and when you come to a promise, stop and say out loud, “That’s for me!” God’s promises cover every area of life and you will find precious faith readily available to help claim these precious promises for yourself.
Endnotes:
1 Ephesians 2:8 2Mark 5:25-34 3Shakespeare’s Macbeth Act 5 4Psalm 103:12
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