Yes, He is very precious to you
who believe. If Christ is truly precious to
us, we shall prefer Him above every other object. He will have the chief place
in our affections. The love which a Christian has
to his Savior penetrates and possesses his heart. This distinguishes
it from the pretended love of hypocrites, which is only in
word or in some external actions. While their hearts are full of
sinful self-love, so that it may be said of them, this people
honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. We may possibly delight in some
objects of an inferior nature as they contribute to our health,
our ease, or our comfort. Our homes, our food, and our
other temporal enjoyments are dear to us because they minister
to our comfort and convenience in the present life. But true
love for Christ does not allow any other object to hold the
chief place in the heart. This chief place is for Jesus,
whom we ought to love with supreme ardor. The choicest affections
of our souls ought to be supremely fixed upon Him. As it is impossible
for any man to love an unknown object, so it cannot be expected
that Christ should be supremely precious unto us, unless we know
Him to be excellent and desirable, beyond whatever may be compared
with Him. We shall not esteem Him above
all things, if we have not elevated views of His transcendent worth. Our esteem of Him rises in proportion
to the knowledge we have of Him. Godly men, therefore, ardently
desire to increase in the knowledge of Him, that their affections
may be more intensely fixed upon Him. That love, which has but
created things for its object, is degrading to the soul. It
is a cleaving to that which can neither give happiness to our
souls nor repose to our minds. For to love any object ardently
is to seek our felicity in it, and to expect that it will answer
our desires. It is to call upon it to fill
that deep void which we feel in ourselves, and to imagine
that it is capable of giving us the satisfaction we seek. It is to regard it as the resource
of all our needs, the remedy of all the troubles which oppress
us, and the source of all our happiness. Now, as it is God
alone in whom we can find all these advantages, it is a debasing
of the soul. It is idolatry to seek them in
created objects. I consider everything a loss
compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish
that I may gain Christ." Philippians 3 verse 8. If Christ is truly precious to
us, we shall be induced to devote our souls and our bodies, our
talents, our abilities, and our faculties, as a living sacrifice
to Him. To contemplate His adorable perfections
will be our highest joy. We shall be ready to obey Him,
in opposition to all the threats and the solicitations of men.
We shall rely upon Him, though all outward appearances seem
to be against us. We shall rejoice in Him, though
we have nothing else to comfort us. If we enjoy health and plenty,
friends and reputation, the Lord is still the object of our earnest
desires and our supreme delight. Whom have I in heaven but you?
There is nothing upon earth that I desire besides you. As the deer pants for the water
brooks, so longs my soul after you, O God. My soul thirsts for
God, for the living God. This Puritan devotional has been
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