One or the Other

Kevin Durant had his introductory press conference yesterday as the newest member of the Golden State Warriors. It’s pretty remarkable that the best team in the Western Conference (winning 73 games last year), added another extremely talented player to their roster. Although they are the early favorites to win next year’s championship, how NBA fans and media members view the Warriors moving forward is very intriguing. A couple of years ago when Steph Curry was bursting onto the scene as one of the top players in the league, and the Warriors began to make their rise, the team seemed to be well-liked by fans and media. Curry was the relatable and fun-loving guy who most people rooted for. But with the Warriors winning the championship, and Curry winning back to back MVP awards, their universal acceptance began to waver and “haters” became vocal. Now, by adding Kevin Durant, the Warriors will be identified as the league’s villain with every team trying to take them down. Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, talked about this concept with ESPN yesterday. He said, “You want to be one or the other...either the darling or the villain. When you’re stuck in between and nobody cares, that’s when you’ve got a problem.” I agree with Kerr’s statement about the NBA. You want to be in the conversation as either the team everyone loves or everyone hates. Otherwise, you’re an average team that nobody thinks about. When it comes to our standing with God, there is a similar truth. We ultimately either know Jesus and follow Him…or we don’t believe and choose our own way. The book of Revelation describes God’s judgment and the different types of churches. Chapter 3, verses 15-16 talk about those who are caught in between: “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” Water is invigorating and refreshing when cold, and therapeutic and delicious when hot (especially coffee)...but drinking lukewarm water is what we try to avoid. The same idea is true when we’re thinking about our spiritual lives. We must recognize how being spiritually useless, indifferent, caught in the middle, or stuck in between is not how God wants us to live and pursue Him. Today, let’s choose to be all-in and eliminate the areas of our lives that are leaving us lukewarm. Let’s fully commit to following Jesus. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for being lukewarm sometimes in the way I live my life. Help me to live in response to what Jesus did on the cross for me, so that I will be passionate and all-in. Help me not to get lazy, indifferent, or just caught in the middle, but rather fully committed to following Jesus. I pray this in His name, Amen.