When Jesus walked this earth, He was not a rock star of that time. But who Jesus is captivated their lives—His love, His teachings, His grace, His forgiveness, His compassion captivated people.
I will always remember the day I had an encounter with Jesus. It was the day I was born again as I received Him as my Lord and Savior. It was an all-consuming passion and desire to know everything about Him. I went to church every Sunday because I wanted to hear all about Him. I started to raise my hands during worship because I wanted to touch Him. When you are captivated by something, there is a driving force to move towards it—it’s an all-consuming passion.
I think of the woman who is known as the sinful woman, spoken of in the book of Luke (Luke 7:36-50). She had an encounter with Jesus. When she heard He was at Simon’s house, she went there. She walked right in, knowing what those people thought of her. Can you imagine all the negative energy coming from the people in that room?
We have all experienced this to some degree—you walk into a room, and there is someone there who doesn’t like you or is judging you. We all know what that feels like; it could be in the workplace, maybe your extended family, or even church.
So picture this: the room was filled with that kind of energy. However, she was protected from it. It didn’t touch her because she only had eyes for Jesus.
She was captivated by Jesus’ love, by His compassion—it propelled her toward Him. She fell at His feet, tears of gratitude and love flowing. She was so overwhelmed, all she could do was weep.
That’s what happened to me when I had an encounter with Him. I cried for hours as His love captivated my heart.
This is what we are called to do. We are called to captivate others through Jesus’ love flowing through us. We are called to go out into the workplace, our families—everywhere we go—captivating people with love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. If we are not risking our lives being hurt, we risk nothing. We will never captivate others. We will never captivate people with religion. We will only captivate others when we live a life where we love, where we share grace, where we forgive.
Jesus said in one of His teachings:
“If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anyone can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.”
A love that says all are lovable—this kind of love is captivating. That is Jesus’ heart.
It’s one thing to say to people, “Jesus loves you.” Many people need to know the love of Christ. But they need to see that love in us to guide them to Him.
Let’s remember what Jesus said:
Matthew 22:37—Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.”
As we are captivated by Jesus’ love, that love will permeate our hearts, our souls, and our minds, and in return, we can show that love to others.