30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. — Matthew 12:30
No one remains neutral when it comes to Jesus. “You’re with me, or you’re not,” the Son of God says.
Jesus speaks to anyone who is neutral on who he is. He says the lukewarm follower is not a follower.
This can seem vexing to us. This should be vexing to us. We may wonder, “I am with Jesus, really?”
I invite you not to think of the “other guy” here. Instead, consider why Jesus says this in front of you.
To help your thinking, also consider this. Jesus is not lukewarm about you. By no means is his love for you casual, unintended, or, as a teen would say, “Chill.” Instead, his love for you is possessive, powerful, directional, assuring and unending. He is “all in” for you and stands firm on this statement: He calls you to be “all in” for him.
To be all in, the Suffering Servant calls you to bring your brokenness, your fuzziness, and your commitment issues about him to him. This keeps his love for you—and your love for him—fresh and new each day.
The nature of sin keeps us all busy, distracted and apart from Jesus. But remember Jesus conquered our sins on his cross. He knows we can wander. This is why he is calling us to gather to him. He is calling you to gather with him.
PRAYER: Jesus, thank you again for your love for me—and for your work on the cross for me. Your endless, limitless love is ahead of, around, and behind me. Today, help me understand even more clearly the blessing of what being “all in” for you means to me. Amen.