Song of the Day
“Captivate Us” by Watermark live
Scripture to reflect upon
- Heb 12:2,
- John 10:27,
- John 7:37-39,
- Matt 11:28-30,
- Rev 1:7,
Devotional thought
This has got to be one of my all time favorite worship songs! I love the prayer of this song, “Captivate us, Lord Jesus. Set our eyes on You. Devastate us with Your presence.” Let’s take a minute to discuss the importance of keeping our eyes fixed upon the Author and Perfecter of our faith!
“keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…”
Heb 12:2
We will always have the temptation of distraction in this life! There is always something vying for our attention, right? Whether it is our children, spouse, work, extended family, health, and so-on, we have to make choices each day on how to divide up our time and energy to each one. This can be challenging and many times will result in frustration, because the amount of attention grabbers tends to be greater than the amount of time and energy we have in our reserves!
There is a principle that will help us though. It is the big rocks in the jar principle.
When we try to fill a jar with rocks, we have to begin with the biggest of the rocks and work down to the smallest in order to get the most out of the limited space the jar offers. Well, we need to look at the big rocks as those people or projects in our lives that hold the most priority. Once we establish who, or what, holds greater priority, then we have to start our day by placing those rocks in the jar first. If we begin with the wrong priorities, we will not be able to fit everything in, and we will get frustrated in our attempt to do so.
Jesus needs to be our biggest Rock!
We need to be captivated by His presence and our relationship with Him. Remember that He is the One who says His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. The only way we can hear His voice is if we take the time to listen to Him, to grow in our relationship with Him, and to make time with Him a priority.
The more our vision is fixed upon Jesus, the less chance other temptations have at knocking us off course. Everything else has to be moved to peripherals when the light of Christ is our focus.
This is especially important during the Advent season leading up to Christmas! One of the reasons I love this season so much is that it focuses me on Jesus! Whenever that happens, I am reminded of the hope, joy, love, peace, salvation, and so-on that comes along with having a relationship with my God! That is always a good thing, and it allows me to reprioritize myself and my thoughts throughout the day! That is a win-win for everyone.
For Christ to captivate us means to give Him the full focus and attention He deserves in our lives. I hope and pray that you are allowing His gracious presence to captivate you this Christmas season! Let’s be focused on our Savior’s voice and presence, His beauty and light, His loving arms and gentle hands that provide healing! Oh that we would all dwell in the captivating presence of our Holy Fountain of blessing – Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for being the Life-giver and for being the Author of my faith! I am grateful to have a Savior in Jesus Christ, and I am so blessed by the free fellowship He offers me. Help me Lord to dwell in Your presence. I ask that You guide me in establishing my priorities and not getting distracted by all of life’s demands to the point that I neglect You. Please forgive me for doing this in so many ways. I love You Lord, and I look to You now. In Jesus’ name. Amen
