The apostle Peter writes in his first epistle, chapter 2 and verse 7, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious:.” This is the evidence of true, God-given faith: Trust in and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is “precious,” the “preciousness” which the Greek dictionary defines as “the honor.” Christ is the highest honor to His people. He must be for He is ALL! And when God enables us to truly believe on Him our whole value system is changed and our perspective on what is truly valuable is altered forever. All things pale away into utter insignificance compared to Christ and what we have in Him. Human righteousness is seen for the filthy rags it is in the light of Him who is the Lord our Righteousness. All the delights of fallen flesh fail to satisfy the craving of the believer who now finds the preciousness of Christ to satisfy alone. He is the highest Honor. The world’s highest honors cannot lift us higher that what we have been exalted to in Christ our Head. Who could offer more, raise higher and delight more than the glorious King of kings and Lord of lords? Precious also means dear. Who is more dear to the true believer than Christ? No man and no honor. Not father or mother, sister or brother, husband or wife, children or friend. Someone came up with the acronym for faith saying, “Forsaking All I Take Him.” It is not that we do not value family, friends, etc. but compared to Christ we “forsake” them all. Why? Because Christ is precious to us. The Spirit of God has taken the gospel of Christ and made us to know the glory of who He is and His acts of love to us, giving Himself for us to suffer in our place for our sins. There are many who profess to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ but it is obvious that they do not. Christ is not “precious” to them. They have no real interest in hearing about Him through the preaching of the gospel. They do not desire to read and study His word. They don’t desire to be in the fellowship of His people. Christ promised His presence in the midst of His people and yet few are found there. I cannot look at the heart but by these actions or the want of them, men say, “Christ means a little to me but He is not precious.” Such cannot be believers for “unto you therefore that BELIEVE, he is PRECIOUS!”

Gary Shepard

The believer is a mystery to others and to himself also. He is sanctified, yet feels himself to be the chief of sinners. He loves God’s law, yet he wrestles with an inward desire to have his own way. He has great sorrow and heaviness of heart over others, yet he rejoices in the Lord always. His spirit longs to be with Christ, yet his flesh clings to the earth. He knows that he is secure in Christ, yet he examines his faith continually.

Henry Mahan

"Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:78, 79

There is a way of peace, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. For he is "our peace," and "the way," and therefore the way of peace. He has made peace through the blood of his cross (Col. 1:20), having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to them which were afar off, "sitting in darkness and the shadow of death," and to them that were nigh (Eph. 2:16, 17). The dayspring, then, breaking in upon the soul, shines upon the way of peace, and guides the feet into it. The light shines upon the way lined with blood, the way of salvation through the finished work, atoning blood, and meritorious sufferings of the Son of God. As, then, the light shines upon the way, and it is seen as a way of peace, a way of pardon and reconciliation, a way of access and acceptance, a way of grace and glory, a way of life and happiness, the feet of faith move towards it, enter upon it, and walk in it. This is a peace that passeth all understanding, a peace which the world cannot give or take away, a holy calm, a gracious subduing of all rebellion; and ws, "Peace, be still!" does it all. How great the change! Instead of war with God, to be at peace; to see by the eye of faith that tthat power which once said to the boiling waves and howling winds that chafed their whitened crests into a succession of billohe whole way from earth to heaven, as revealed in the Person and work of the Son of God, is peace from first to last, and that as long as the feet are moving in that path they are walking in a way of peace here and hereafter. O to know, feel, and enjoy more of this peace, the peace of which Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you!" The only peace is peace in believing, peace through atoning blood, peace by walking in sweet communion with Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Nor are we left ignorant how it is to be attained and maintained: "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6, 7).