“Yes, He is very precious to you who believe.” (1 Peter 2:7)

I have three questions for you…

1.What is precious to you? Perhaps that’s not a word that you use very much, or maybe it’s overused, so let me put it this way: what do you cherish? What holds the dearest place in your heart and has the highest value in your life?

Maybe the answer to that is not so easy.

We Americans living in the 21st century generally have a lot of things competing for that position. We esteem money because of the power it holds and the freedoms it enables us to have. We consider our family and friends precious because of their love and companionship. We hold dear our plans, possessions, and personal happiness. So how do we gauge what we cherish the most?

For the believer in Jesus Christ, this question is supposed to be a no-brainer. The Bible says in I Peter 2:7 that the Lord IS precious to us who believe. Peter doesn’t say that Jesus SHOULD be cherished, or

HOPEFULLY WILL BECOME of value to us; He simply is. As all rivers eventually join the sea, so should all our passions flow into the preciousness of the Savior.

2.When did Jesus lose His rightful place as the most Beloved in your life?

Perhaps your once vibrant spiritual life has become a howling wilderness with no signs of Christ to be found. If so, let me suggest an exercise.

Close your eyes and try to remember how it felt to know that you were absolutely forgiven, when you learned that the King of kings and Creator of the cosmos was scandalously in love with you. Recall how you felt when you realized that Jesus gave His very life so that you could spend eternity with Him. He was the first Person you spoke to in the morning, and He was your final conversation before bed. He was the obsession of your thoughts and the speech of your lips. You wept for those who rejected

His free offer of salvation, and you raged against those who would dare speak ill of Him.

Oh but that was rookie Christianity stuff. We who are “mature” have a kindler, gentler approach. We have many relationships and dreams that now have become more precious to us – but He’ll understand. (Really? “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” Revelation 2:4)

3.Here’s my last question: what would you do without Jesus? Perhaps familiarity has bred contempt for our Redeemer; so let your thoughts travel for a moment to a world without Christ. For me, a life without

Christ could not even be defined as “life.” It would be a waking nightmare of loneliness, emptiness, depression, and hopelessness. I would have no perspective on my past, no joy for the moment, and no hope for the future…and that would just be the first hour of realizing He was gone!

Take a moment and imagine Jesus not being the centerpiece of your life. If that’s not a heartrending mental journey, then you’re on the wrong lifeboat.