Precious, Honorable, Beloved   

Isaiah 43:4

 

     The God of glory speaks personally to every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and says, "Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee." Here are three adjectives by which God himself describes you who believe.

PRECIOUS - "Since thou wast precious in my sight."

 

     How precious the believer must be if he is precious in God's sight! We are in God's sight, placed fully and completely before him, as much so as we shall be in the day of judgment. His thoughts about us are not mistaken. His judgment is not cloudy. He knows exactly what we are, what we have been, and what we shall be. Yet, he declares that we are precious in his sight! How can this be? There is nothing in us by nature to make us precious to God. We were not dug from the quarry of precious things, but from the pit of corruption. If we are precious in his sight, it is because of what he has done, not what we have done! We are precious in God's sight because he bought us at a very dear price (I Pet. 1:18), because we are his workmanship (Eph. 2:10), because we are being conformed to the image of his dear Son (Rom. 8:29), and because we are his own sons and daughters (II Cor. 6:17-18). "Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou has been -

     HONORABLE."

 

     To be honorable in God's sight is to be honorable indeed! You have been made honorable because distinguishing grace has made you precious in God's sight (Ezek. 16:14). You who are born of God are honorably born (James 1:18), given an honorable privilege (Heb. 4:16), called to an honorable service (Acts 1:8), and made heirs of an honorable inheritance (Rom. 8:17).

     BELOVED - "I have loved thee!"

 

     Child of God, meditate upon this unspeakably blessed fact. Roll it over in your heart, and rejoice! You are loved of God! He loves you freely and unconditionally! He loves you eternally and unchangeably! He loves you particularly and personally! He loves you immeasurably and savingly! God your Father loves you pre-eminently! Therefore he will "give men for thee and people for thy life!" This is your security and should be your peace. There is nothing God will not do or give for you for whom he has sacrificed his dear Son (Rom. 8:32).

 

 

Don Fortner