PRECIOUS JESUS, HOW I LOVE YOU!

SCRIPTURE

1 Peter 2:4-10 (NRSV)
You are God's own people

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner," and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

DEVOTION

There is something in today’s reading that captures my attention! I never noticed this before, but it engages my imagination. Our reading says that “Jesus is precious.”

Now, I have never thought to apply that word to Jesus! Generally, when I hear the word “precious,” I remember Big Mama wrapping her arms around me in church when I was a little girl, while simultaneously pinching my cheeks and shouting, “Aren’t you just precious!” whenever I finished reciting my lines for the Easter pageant or singing a solo in the Children’s Choir. (laughing…)

The other way that I have used “precious” in the past is to refer to a newborn baby. I know that when I have visited parents in the hospital and peered into the swaddled face of their new arrival, I have often said, “Well, isn’t s/he precious?!”

But in this case, Scripture says that JESUS is precious! So what does “precious” actually mean? Well, I consulted the dictionary and it says that if something is precious it is, “dear, beloved, of great value, and/or highly esteemed (dictionary.com).”

Wow! Do we treat Jesus like this? How would it look if we did?

Well, I hope you don’t mind if I use my Holy Ghost-inspired imagination…

I imagine that if we treated Jesus as if he were precious, we would remember to say, “Good Morning” (prayer of adoration) at the start of every day. We would not fail to introduce him to our friends (testimony) when we were out. We would say, “Thank you” (prayer of thanksgiving) as Jesus “opened doors” of opportunity for us. We would help out his friends (missions and charitable good works) whenever we were able, and we would read the love letter (e.g., Bible) he left us beside the bed. Finally, before we drifted off to sleep, we would kiss Jesus goodnight (prayer of praise), letting him know how thrilled we were to be in relationship with someone as wonderful as he!

See, these are the ways that we treat people who are precious to us! We know this is true, because this is how we treat our beloved husbands, wives, sons, daughters, and/or grandchildren. If we do these things for our precious earthly ones, how much more should we do them for our beloved JESUS?

What will you do to show Jesus just how precious he is to you today?

Precious Jesus, how I love You, how I lift high my voice with Your praise. Holy Spirit, I implore Thee, drench my heart as my lips part Your grace. I am persuaded, Lord, to love You, I have been changed to bless Your name. I am constrained by this great gospel, forever to worship Thee (Thomas A. Whitfield).



ANNOUNCEMENTS

Good News has now added a prayer ministry. If you have a prayer request or praise report, or would like to pray for others, please click the link found under my profile picture. Thank you!

The Good News Living Book Club will be reading Hinds Feet On High Places by Hannah Hurnard during March. You can purchase the book by clicking the link to the right. Please mark your calendars for our very first book club meeting to be held on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 9:00am.

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From Pastor Yolanda’s blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/