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A Prayer for Treasuring Jesus

     For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him [Jesus] will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.1 Pet. 2:6-7

Dear Lord Jesus, nothing will determine my thoughts, words and actions today more so than the treasure of my heart. Whatever I deem most worthy of my attention, affection and allegiance—whatever, or whoever, I label precious”, that will be the functional lord of my life—my passion, delight and joy.

It may be the approval of man, the prestige of my work, the longing for sensual pleasure, the power of lasting impact, the need to be needed, the amount of amassed wealth, the quest for romantic love, perfectly obedient kids, intellectual acumen, religious “rightness”, or any of a ka-zillion other wanna-be-treasures. Whatever I treasure the most, I will serve most fully. That’s why this little verse from Peter lands on my heart with such huge impact, as this day gets underway.

Lord Jesus, if anything or anyone deserves the appellation “precious,” it is you, Lord Jesus—God’s chosen cornerstone and precious capstone of our redemption. The combined worth of all precious metals and gemstones, and the collected currencies of every kingdom cannot compare with the unsearchable riches that are found in you.

To believe and trust in you, Jesus, is to be free from the burden of our guilt and the paralyzing power of our shame. To know you, Jesus—to boast in the gift of your righteousness, to rest in the constancy of your love, to wake up each day to your endless mercies, to hear you sing to us in the gospel. It’s to feel the stranglehold of shame lose its grip over our hearts. Hallelujah many times over… those who trust in you will never be put to shame.

For you, Lord Jesus, took the guilt of our sin and the shame of our brokenness on the cross. You became sin for us that in you we might become righteousness of God. Because of you, judgment day holds no terror. The cross was our judgment day. We no longer fear the gaze of God because of the grace of God we have in you.

May you become more and more precious to us, Lord Jesus. May the gospel continue to change the price tags on everything in our world. May yesterday’s values be considered today’s loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing you. So very Amen we pray, in your glorious and grace-full name. A

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