“For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.’”
(1 Peter 2:6-7)
If God, through the power of His Word and the wooing of His Holy Spirit has brought you to the foot of the cross to see and embrace Christ as Savior and Lord, your faith is precious to you. And your Savior is precious because your spiritual eyes have been opened to see the beauty and splendor of God and His Son. So, if you are among the blessed that God has chosen, your heart should remain in a state of continual thankfulness and adoration of the Father and His Christ.
The great Apostle Paul understood this gift of salvation to a degree that most Christians today sadly miss. Paul understood that Christ came to save sinners, “… of whom I am the worst,” (1 Tim. 1:15). Before his conversion experience, Saul (whose name Christ later changed to Paul) was a devout Jew who truly believed he was doing God’s work by persecuting the followers of Christ. Then God opened his eyes to the truth… and from that moment on everything changed.
To be sure, Saul’s conversion experience was quite notable. But simply put, until God intervened to open his eyes, Saul was without a clue and without hope. It was all God’s doing, and God deserved the glory for it, “Now unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen,” (2 Tim. 1:14-15, 17).
And thus it is with all of us who come to know Christ as Savior. We cannot effect our own salvation; God must open our spiritual eyes. It is all His doing. And for this reason, both our faith… and our Savior… should be precious (of inestimable value) to us.
What value do you put on Christ (1 Peter 2:7)? How often do you commune with Him? He dwells in your heart, but is He precious to you? Do you honor, obey, and treasure the Lord as your Lord? Do you welcome Him in every moment of your life?
Simeon Ashe, Westminster Divine, said, “The sinner who returns to God is accompanied with resolutions to renounce all known evils they formerly indulged in. This is the language of all those who come to God when He calls them, “Take away all iniquity. What have I to do any more with idols?”
The soul that truly sees the beauty and glory of the Lord realizes everything else pales in comparison. All the treasures of earth are barren wasteland compared to the treasure we have in Christ Jesus. The most magnificent gem the world has to offer loses all its luster when compared to the infinite facets of God and His kingdom.
Is it not a wonder of wonders that we, the least of all creatures on earth, were chosen by the Almighty and drawn into the heart of Christ? Our condition was woefully miserable (Rev. 3:17), before God drew us to Himself, and would have been so eternally if His cords of grace had not wrapped around us. Therefore, this faith that is ours as a gift from God is precious, and so is the Christ in whom we believe.
- Lord, it is without question that when Lot was rescued from Sodom (Gen. 16), his deliverance was not as great and glorious as mine is in Jesus Christ. There was “no good,” (Rom. 7:18) in me, so neither could there be any good in any of my actions. All that worked on my behalf was what You did freely by the power of Your own grace. Not, “by the works of righteousness we have done, but by mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and by the renewing of the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:4-5).
- Lord, words cannot describe how I feel about being drawn to Christ. “Blessed is the man whom You choose. Their souls shall delight themselves in fatness. And whosoever comes shall never be cast out,” (Ps. 65:4; Isa. 55:3; John 6:37). You drew me to Yourself, and as a result my heart is the abode of my precious Savior and of His Spirit forevermore.
- Lord, I know Your Word says that by the sound of the Gospel multitudes are called to come to Your blessed Son. And yet the Jesus said, “many are called, but few are chosen,” (Matt. 20:16). As I have been drawn into the fellowship of the church by Your Spirit, I look to adore You all the days of my life. You are precious, and all Your work is precious to me.
- In order for me to be serviceable to Your providence, Lord, I must strive to personally draw near to Christ. Although the power of this work lies in Your hand, I wait before You that my heart may be continually drawn to You.
Further Scriptures for 1 Peter 2:6-7
Isa. 28:16; Rom. 9:33; Eph. 2:20; Rom. 10:11; Ps. 118:22; John 14:1
