What Happens When We Think Precious Thoughts about Jesus

Our minds need to be changed and transformed when we first come to know Christ. But the more and harder we seek after Him, the greater the transformation we see in our minds.

One of the most precious things a person can be given by God is a heavenly mindset, a mindset formed by the cross, a mindset that sees earthly reality in view of Scriptural truths. Romans 12:2 teaches: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Our minds need to be changed and transformed when we first come to know Christ. But the more and harder we seek after Him, the greater the transformation we see in our minds. We need to ask for God’s Spirit to come and change us, to conform us to spiritual realities rather than the principles of the world. Here are some ways we can see our minds utterly transformed into greater and greater union with Christ.

What Matters Is What Will Last into Eternity

The things of this earth will be seen as temporary and transient. There is surely goodness to enjoy on this earth. But what matters is the spiritual work of God in us, and that spiritual work we participate in with others.

His Suffering for Us becomes Our Most Precious Thought

The reality that God came in flesh to suffer on the cross for our sins becomes precious beyond comparison. We revere this truth and treat it as holy. Our Savior has become so precious to us we can hardly bear the thought of Him hanging on the tree for us. We treasure His sacrifice deeply.

His Work in This World Is Our Priority

Jesus has given the church a mission: to make disciples of Jesus around the world. His work of doing that, at home and abroad, takes deep roots in our hearts. He loves His gospel, and we love His gospel. We want to do our part to see His gospel shared and to see it shine around the world — no matter where we live and what our daily calling.

The Person and Character of Jesus Is Our Loveliest Treasure

Jesus is held up as our priceless treasure. When we come to know Him better, to take in His character, to learn about His ways in the Scriptures, and to behold His grace in our lives, we realize that we are treated impeccably by the perfect One of all time and eternity. Jesus becomes our rich prize, our first and singular aim and goal.

God’s Goodness Is Never in Question

We balk at the idea of God’s goodness being in question, when He is the One who bore with all of our failures, all of our rebellion, all of our sinfulness and still — in His immeasurable kindness — offered salvation to the world. What kind of God is this? We cannot entertain the thought of Him not being always considered the good God He is.

The Salvation That God Offers Is Unfathomably Good

Evil is having its day. The world and worldly values around us threaten to pull us in on all sides. By contrast, the things of the Lord and of the Scriptures are pure and holy and righteous. We come to love the righteousness that has been revealed to us. Salvation into the things and ways of the Lord is an unfathomable reality — one that we will never fully grasp for all of eternity. We will praise God always for the greatest gift He has ever given to us.

Sin becomes Utterly Undesirable

When we are thinking precious thoughts about Jesus, the sinful ways of our hearts and natures fall completely out of favor with us. In fact, our ways of rebellion, the sin that has seeped into our pockets as we walk through the world, the fallen ideas that have passed through our ears, all come to be undesirable to us. God shows them to us for what they are, and we want to abandon evil ways — whatever they are — and not allow them to take root within us. God hates sin, and so do we; that becomes our true heart’s desire.

There Is Accountability before God for Everything That We Do

Because we know that God hates sin, we take seriously that we will stand before God for all that we think, say, and do in His world. All of our wrongdoing will be covered by His grace. But He wants relationships of truth with us. So, we will stand before Him for our doings, whether good or bad. I want there to be so much goodness, and so little badness when I stand before Jesus. The greatest words that I so want to hear are “well done, good and faithful servant.” We take seriously everything we do when we are thinking precious thoughts of a Savior who died to remove our sins from us.

All of Life Is Lived by the Rule of Grace

Grace is the rule by which we live our lives. Jesus loves His gospel of grace. He loves that He offers us forgiveness as far as the east is from the west. He loves that He has won a people to Himself. When we come before Him with our sins, He welcomes us and washes us with his blood. And He does that by His incredible grace that we can never exhaust. It is truly amazing grace. Each one of us is a small picture of His gospel, when He looks at us who believe. We don’t fear sin because there is no punishment. Rather, we live by His cleansing grace, and honor it highly just as He does.

To Fear the Lord Is Easy because God Is Great in Our Eyes

When we are thinking precious thoughts about the goodness and greatness of Jesus, we do not question whether or not God is to be feared. He is the great One. We possess a holy disposition before the great God of our souls. Our hearts bow because God is very high. Our hearts yearn for His glorification. Our minds know that He is exalted and His thoughts and ways are not ours. We stand apart from Him and know that He is to be magnified.

The Lordship of Christ Is Longed for So That We Can Reflect Jesus

Jesus is the Lord — and we are so grateful that He is. We long for Him to lead and guide us in the ways of truth. We long to follow Scriptural patterns of goodness. We long to walk the straight and narrow path that brings holiness and righteousness to our days. In short, we yearn for Jesus Christ to be the Lord of our lives. We don’t want to lead but want to submit to His control.

The Care and Comfort of Jesus Exceeds Our Desires

When we think highly of Jesus, we value our relationship with Him very highly. We draw near to Him, and He draws near to us. So, when we reach out to Him for help and comfort, His care for us exceeds our desires. We feel enveloped by His comfort and love. The fact that the holy God of the universe would pour His love into our hearts is beautiful beyond description. We thank Him greatly and welcome all that He gives and brings to us, as He is the vine and we are the branches.

We Have Contentment Based on Our Relationship with Jesus

Because the things of this earth matter less and less to us, we are transformed into a spirit of contentment. We know that there is nothing we can gain that is of any value but Jesus Christ Himself. We know that it is good to know God. So, we can let possessions and values of this earth go.

We Are Willing to Be Called into Service of God, However He Wills

When Jesus is our highest prize, we wait upon Him to see if He might call us into His service. We are honored so highly if He allows us to serve Him in any way. And we leave open the possibility that He might call any one of us at any time to take His gospel to a lost world.

My friends, let us think precious thoughts about Jesus. Let us be separate from this world, and cling to our Savior. Let us care about spiritual realities more than earthy realities. Let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Let us approve of what is good and great according to the Lord, and seek Him — draw near to Him — so that He and His gospel might be so very high in our sights.

Lianna Davis is author of Keeping the Faith: A Study in Jude and Made for a Different Land: Eternal Hope for Baby Loss. She is also a contributor to We Evangelicals and Our Mission with Cascade Books. Lianna is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She lives in Illinois with her husband and daughter. You can learn more about her writing at her website.