Captivated
What captivates you? Is it the beauty of your spouse? Maybe the morning sunrise or the crashing waves of the ocean.
To be captivated is to be influenced and dominated by some special charm, or trait with an irresistible appeal. What has captivated you lately? Maybe it was your latest summer holiday, but now you are back to reality?
We are to live our whole life in Him (Col 3:3). It says in James 1.2 to count it all joy - the good, the bad, and everything in between.
Happiness is based upon what is happening, it is based on the external, what you can see, taste touch or feel. True joy is spiritual, based on things unseen.
Joy of the occasions wane, but joy in Him sustains.
Pleasure is from the Lord, but rather than being captivated by pleasure, we are to be captivated by Him who delights to give us pleasure.
Fleeting pleasure of sin
Heb 11:25 (Moses chose) rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
James 1:15 … sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
God doesn’t want to take our pleasure, God is pleasure.
Ps 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Rom 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
1 Tim 6:17 ... who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
Psalm 35:27 “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
Rather than be captivated by sin we are to be captivated by Him. We are to take pleasure in Him - in the good, the bad and everything in between.
Psalm 34:1-3 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.
8 Oh taste and see that the Lord is good, come magnify the Lord with me.
How will we be captivated by Him?
When a man and wife get married, there is often a 'price' that the groom 'pays' to marry his bride. There is beauty in that sacrifice and beauty in the groom.
We will be captivated by the sacrifice but also by the person.
The sacrifice
There is something about knowing the depth of our need without Him and also the depth of His power, love and grace.
Romans 3:10 “There is none righteous, no, not one
Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
How did Christ show His love for His bride?
2 cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We are to be captivated by the sacrifice but also by…
The person
Have you seen the depth of His beauty? There is nothing more beautiful than Him, nothing worth pursuing, nothing worth being captivated more than by Him.
If you truly believe in your heart He is who He says He is you will be captivated by Him.
What is captivating you? Are you captivated by sin or captivated by Him.