The With
Jesus Life

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself: What first attracted you to Jesus? Not what attracted your parents, your church, or your pastor. What attracted you?

I think that is one of the most important questions we can ask. Before we begin to follow Jesus, something about Him captures our heart.

I grew up on a farm. One of my jobs was bringing the cows in from the pasture. There are two ways to move cattle. You can chase them—wave your arms, yell, and hope they go where you want them to go. Or you can pick up a bucket. Not an empty bucket, but one filled with grain.

I can still hear the sound of that grain hitting the side of the bucket. I would give it a little shake, and almost immediately, heads would begin to rise across the pasture—one, then another, then another. Before long, the whole herd was following me. Not because they were being chased, but because something drew them.

Years later, I began to wonder whether that picture might help us understand something about Jesus. He did not chase people. He awakened something within them.

Jesus awakened desire, hope, curiosity, and life. People wanted to be near Him. They wanted to hear Him. They wanted to know Him. That is one reason I love John's Gospel. John does not simply offer arguments. He tells stories—a man searching in the night, a woman carrying shame to a well, a blind man who receives his sight, and a fisherman who failed. Again and again, the invitation is simple: “Come and see.” Come and watch Jesus.

The more I read John's Gospel, the more I realize that Jesus was not trying to make people more religious. He was inviting them into a different kind of life—a life with Him.

Whatever it was, thank God for it. Sometimes remembering what first attracted us to Jesus awakens our love for Him all over again.

Do not merely remember what attracted you to Jesus. Let it reignite your heart for Him today. He is still inviting you: “Come and see.”