A favorite person is usually someone we know and have a relationship with, and we like them most of all. It can be a romantic or a platonic relationship, and it can be anyone; a family member, good friend, or any other supportive person in our lives. All of us have personal characteristics that are often overlooked until we meet someone with whom we strongly identify. They have these characteristics themselves and without giving much thought, we connect with them in a delightful way. Even though we may not be able to pinpoint all the reasons this person floats our boats, if we could, we’d probably spend all our time in their company.
The connections to our favorite person can be very strong, and there are sometimes intense emotional attachments, dangerously so if we start to idolize them. We depend on the favorite person in our lives for reassurance and approval, and when we don’t get it, we feel unsure of ourselves. Sometimes, we’re relying too heavily on this person for love and attention, and our expectations become unreasonable. It’s not uncommon for us to place our favorite person on a pedestal, as if they can do no wrong, but that’s not realistic. Not understanding that all of us have shortcomings is unhealthy, and it can lead to disappointment.
When we’re asked, “Who is your favorite person?”, most of us immediately think of a person that we know. Even before the question is asked, we’ve already established the perimeters of what constitutes “favorite”. The word holds a high level of importance to us, and we are the ones who stack the priorities for its distinction. Our favorite is our most cherished and treasured, and it behooves us to take stock. We need to take the time to think this through because Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 6:21(KJV), “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
What we treasure says everything about who we are. In this sense, our favorite person gives a glimpse of what we value, and because our values are what we trust and believe down deep, they have a tremendous impact on the quality of our existences.
Most of us have a habit of valuing people by the investment they make in us. Our Lord and Savior totally flipped the script on this. He tells us to value everyone and to honor God by the investment we make in the lives of others. So, the way of Christ is never about what we receive, but the quality of what we give. That’s a totally opposite view than that of society and the world.
In Matthew 19:16(NKJV), a young man came to Jesus and asked him a question, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Jesus replied in a way that shifted the emphasis off himself and on to our Heavenly Father. Verse 17 tells us, “So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” This may seem to us to have been a very casual reference by the young man, but Jesus reminded us that our attitudes can never be casual when it comes to the goodness, holiness, and glory of our God. The precedent Jesus set in Matthew 19:16-17 gives us the proper attitude when it comes to this word, “favorite”.
It’s not a word to take lightly in the light of Christ and all that God has done for us through Christ. John 3:16(NKJV) says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” After the fall of Adam and Eve, we were in terrible shape. We were lost in darkness and disconnected from God. We needed to be rescued and redeemed from sin, and God knew this even before He founded the world. Colossians 1:13-14(NLT) says, “13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”
God’s redemption plan for us was to send His only begotten Son to the world so that we could be redeemed from sin and darkness and receive the gift of everlasting life. Jesus Christ accomplished everything God wanted him to do. He fulfilled the law perfectly and because of his life, sacrifice, and resurrection, we have a new life in him. Galatians 2:20(ESV) tells us, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Jesus Christ lives in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are new creations in Christ, and we have the distinct and overwhelming honor to live our lives through him. He is the person we cannot live without, so if we want to be on point, we should be running over and oozing with joy as we triumphantly declare that Jesus Christ is our favorite person. What better place to be than actually abiding in your favorite person? We owe everything to Christ. When we fully comprehend this in our hearts and minds, we will be eternally thankful that our favorite person is the One who gave his life for us. Because of him our minds are elevated, our souls are strengthened, and we get to walk in his love and victory every day of our lives.■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Who Is Your Favorite Person”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.