I love to spend time with people who keep Jesus first in their heart and lifestyle. Although they seem to be distracted from much of the details and desires of daily life, they have a burning focus on Jesus. They live with desire and determination to fulfil their destiny as faithful Christ-followers. They continually seek to hear and obey Jesus, even when it’s uncomfortable or costly.

Jesus-first people know how to interact with Jesus anytime and anyplace throughout the day. They love to talk about Him and when they do you can hear a thrill in their voice.

Jesus-first people are contagious. They don’t hold back their excitement about Jesus. Their love for Him stirs up my love for Him and together we soar in His presence.

Jesus-first people care. They freely forgive. They speak truth with love and humility. They even love their enemies and bless those who curse them. When I’m around Jesus-first people, their joy is contagious, and I soon catch it!

Although I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and interact with hundreds of Jesus-first people and to have a great many as friends, they are quite rare. They’re sprinkled like salt all around the planet in every nation in the world, but because of their humility and tenderness of heart, they’re easy to overlook. They’re rarely in the most powerful or prominent places or positions. It helps to find them if you look among the lowly and the unassuming.

Thank you to all the Jesus-first people. Although you’re often misunderstood and rejected (even by churches) you keep the ever-living Jesus as your first priority.

Self-identifying’s not what it’s cracked up to be. I often meet Jesus-first people and quickly connect heart-to-heart with them around our common love for Christ, but I don’t know their human identity — their place of residence, their likes and dislikes, their job, their family stats, or their bio. I just sense the amazing kinship of recognizing and interacting with a brother or sister in Christ.

Your story is incomplete without Jesus. Too many Christians are being carried away by their desires instead of being carried along by God’s Spirit. Attending Christian meetings without living a Spirit-led lifestyle misses out on the power and reality of Christ in you. Christianity is about life, not about an organization. It’s about Jesus now, not about Jesus last Sunday or next Sunday.

Decisions based on self-focused feelings and desires are often deceptive. Jesus-first people base their decisions on Jesus.

Anywhere and everywhere: Because Jesus is everywhere, people can encounter Him anywhere. Because He is invisible, He can be encountered without being recognized. When I first encountered Him, I didn’t know who He was, but I was acutely aware of His presence and love. As I began to follow Him, He began to reveal Himself to me as the Jesus of the Bible, the Christ, the Son of the living God — God who became a man and shed His blood on the Cross to pay for my sin and to be the Door to restore me to Himself and give me eternal life. He rose from the dead to ever live and reign as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus first!