A question often arises in the church and in the heart of a believer: “Is Jesus both Savior and Lord?” While that is a great question that everyone should ponder, there is another question that is not so frequently asked. The question is this: “Is Jesus precious to me?” The Savior and Lord question is a biblical question. The problem is that people can often be led astray by their deceptive hearts in believing that Jesus is both Savior and Lord.
The person who needs to be forgiven can find it easy to say that Jesus is his Savior; yet all the while, he continues in his sin. The person who is already fairly outwardly conformed to the Word of God might easily say that Jesus is Lord. Yet the Pharisees were also great outward conformists (although even a beginner in the Bible would know that their hearts were far from God). People need a boiled down and defined Christianity.
The problem is not in the words themselves. The words are biblical. A true understanding of Jesus as Lord and Savior wouldn’t allow for someone who is unrepentant, nor would it allow for mere outward conformity. However, everyone has their own definition for nearly everything nowadays. Love is a widely misconstrued word, and so is God. To some, Jesus is defined as Michael the archangel in a past life; to others, a great prophet to the Jews and not God. Some said He was John the Baptist; others defined Him as the prophet Elijah who was to come. On and on the definitions go concerning Christ. It is no wonder that even a truly biblical question such as, “Is Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life?” can get redefined in the heart of man, and as a result, everyone finds their way of saying, “Yes.”
However, even Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…” (Matt. 7:21). Jesus is looking into the heart. He wants to know if your heart is His. It is man who looks on the outward appearance, but God looks within. If He were to look within your heart today, would He see a heart that declares, “Jesus is precious to me”? The heart that exclaims that Jesus is precious cherishes Jesus. He loves Jesus and wants to be near Jesus. For the heart that recognizes the preciousness of Christ, a heart that longs to be with Christ is found. Nothing is greater than sweet communion with Christ for the heart that deems Jesus as precious. Christ is seen as valuable and takes the preeminent place in the heart of one who views Him as precious.
So yes… Is Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life? But also, is He precious in your eyes? Reasons to esteem Christ as precious abound in the Scriptures. The following are just a few:
- Christ is precious because of His Word
Have you ever known someone that you loved to hear talk? Have you ever known someone that, when he spoke, you felt like you should listen? In each and every Christian’s life, there has been someone that has poured into his or her life through words.
Now take that reality and maximize it exponentially, and you get the words of Christ. A time arose in the life of the disciples when they had to make a decision. Others were falling away from Christ because they said His teaching was too hard. But there remained a remnant, with Peter at the head. When Jesus turned to Peter to see if he would leave too, Peter responded with, “…Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Jesus was precious to Peter. Peter knew that Jesus held the words of eternal life.
- Christ is precious because of His death
It is possible that there may be no greater reason in the heart of a believer to esteem Jesus as precious than that of Jesus’ death. Nothing in the life of any person who has ever lived would merit the incarnation of Christ. Not one thing in the life of an individual would deserve this perfectly sinless life lived on his behalf. There is not a single bit of evidence to propose that someone was worthy of the death of God the Son.
It is for this very reason that Jesus is precious in the heart of a believer. It is like the outcast that is shunned by the entire world being visited by the king. It is like the barren desert in Egypt being visited by the Nile. It is a beautiful sight and worthy of Selah. The Christian must meet Christ on these terms to be able to soak in its wonder.
The undeserving and unworthy person finds his merit and his worth in the death of Christ. Christ is precious because of His death. Scripture says, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:19). Cherish Christ in your heart today because of His precious blood.
- Christ is precious because of His grace
If there was no blood, there would be no grace. Grace has been a defining mark of God’s creation. At no point was there no grace. Man never deserved to be created. How can that which is not, deserve to be? There is no merit there to argue a case of whether it is deserving or not. Man simply was not. But God saw fit to create in order to display His glory and be glorified in it. Even prior to the sin of man, Christ was declared to be the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
Grace is a thread that runs throughout the Scriptures. And grace will truly lead the Christian home. Scripture says, “…My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Cor. 12:9). In the midst of whatever hardships the Christian is going through, the grace of Christ is enough. In whatever challenges the believer faces, the grace of Christ is sufficient. In each and every weakness, the grace of Christ is plentiful. For this reason, Christ must be cherished in the heart of a believer. His grace is sufficient for you.
- Christ is precious because of His compassion
Christ is seen from many angles in the Bible, but one of the most precious is when His heart for the lost is on display. Scripture says, “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Matt. 9:36). Jesus cares about your current condition. If the Christian is going in the wrong direction, Jesus cares. Jesus’ heart is for those who have dwelled in darkness. Jesus’ heart is for the misguided. Jesus’ heart is for the lost.
- Christ is precious because of His name
The name of Christ is to be esteemed. Scripture says, “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (Heb. 1:4). A similar thought is mentioned in the second chapter of the book of Philippians. Jesus has a name that is above every other name on the earth.
This declaration is not simply a reference to a specific name that was given to Jesus. Rather, it speaks of the person of Christ – Christ is high above His creation and established as ruler over all. Jesus has a name that is to be valued above every other name. The heart of a believer must recognize the name of Jesus as precious.
Practical application
Is Jesus precious to you? Do you value and cherish your relationship with Christ? Take note of these five reasons as to why the heart of a believer should prize his relationship with Christ. Pray through them, and seek the help of the Spirit to cherish Christ more.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for the ways that You have helped me to grow in my relationship with Christ thus far. I pray that Your Spirit would lead me deeper in my relationship with Christ. Open my eyes to see Jesus more clearly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.