1 Peter 2:7 KJV
[7] “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, The stone which the builders disallowed, The same is made the head of the corner,”
I remember a song written by Charles Gabriel in 1902 entitled “He is So Precious to Me.” Whenever I hear the words to the chorus, they always speak to my soul. You may know it and recall the simple but powerful message they brought to your heart.
For He is so precious to me, For He is so precious to me, ‘Tis Heaven below, my Redeemer to know, For He is so precious to me.
Gabriel was inspired to write the song because he realized that the most precious relationship he could ever have is with Jesus Christ. Peter reminds us of the same truth in our text. To those who have believed, Jesus is precious. We have a personal relationship and have tasted His goodness in our lives. We can testify to His goodness, but others will never understand the wonder of His presence until they taste and see that the Lord is good.
It all comes down to whether an individual receives or rejects Jesus Christ. We can see this in our verse. To those who believe, Christ is precious, but to those who are disobedient to the gospel, He is not. They despised and rejected His teaching, His preaching, and His miracles. The Jewish leaders of His day did everything they could to hinder others from believing in Christ. They persecuted the church in the book of Acts, hoping to destroy Christianity after Jesus had left this world. To their surprise, Christ prevailed despite their efforts, and the church continued to grow.
The more they persecuted the church, the more the Word of God grew and multiplied. Because He was the Head of the Corner, Jesus Christ could not be defeated, and the church could not be stopped. The early church had power and prevailed because He was precious to them. Today, the church is more silent and asleep. There is a lack of power and enthusiasm among most congregations because many have lost the wonder of knowing Him. Dear reader, is He still precious to you today?