I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for tonight’s NBA Draft. There’s always tremendous anticipation when waiting to see where the talented prospects end up, and how the swirling trade rumors will affect the future of franchises.
When I look across the league, there are many teams that are in clear rebuilding mode as they look for young players to grow with. They love to stockpile draft picks and don’t mind losing in the interim. The Hawks, Cavs, and Grizzlies fall under this category at the moment.
Then you have the playoff teams who are looking to win now, so they want to add players through free agency or make trades to quickly get them one step closer to that championship. The Lakers, Bucks, and Rockets top that list.
Finally, you have teams that have no idea what they’re doing. They make one move that appears to signal a rebuilding process, but then follow up with a trade that brings in a veteran player who wants to win immediately.
They have a roster that doesn’t put them in a position to win a championship, but they lack the necessary assets to rebuild. At the moment the Hornets, Wizards, Miami Heat, and Timberwolves are stuck in this cycle.
These teams are in “no man’s land” with no clear direction. They waver back and forth while continuing to struggle year after year. Fans can embrace a rebuild and are thrilled with a playoff team, but cheering for a team that’s caught in the middle is brutal.
When it comes to life and following Jesus, people getting caught in the middle is especially unfavorable. He’s not inviting us to be all-in one day and then go the opposite direction the next day. We’re either committed to following His way or we’re not. The wavering back and forth is a disaster.
People that keep changing their mind end up in great confusion and turmoil. However, when we fully surrender and give our all to following Jesus and sticking to His plan, we will bear fruit and experience all that He has for us now and for eternity.
Jesus is very clear about the seriousness of being His disciples, and the idea of being lukewarm or caught in the middle is not what He wants.
He says in Matthew 12:30 (NLT), “Anyone who isn’t with Me opposes Me, and anyone who isn’t working with Me is actually working against Me.”
The Message translation puts it this way: “This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on My side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.”
NBA teams will be sitting in their “war rooms” tonight deciding which direction their franchise should follow. The successful teams know that each phone call they receive and conversation they have, require clarity as to the route they need to take.
Teams that speak out of both sides of their mouth or stay neutral will remain confused.
Today, let’s continue to be committed and fully devoted followers of Jesus, working with Him and staying on His path, while making clear decisions according to His will.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I desire to be all-in each day and not waver back and forth on who I serve and who I follow. I want to remain fully devoted to You. Thank you for allowing me to be with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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