March Madness

March Madness

Yes, it’s that time of year when college basketball seems to take over our lives. Intense efforts are poured into selecting the perfect bracket as we search the Internet for stats of upsets and for teams that have injuries. Top sports analysts and even the president himself make their picks. Friends gather to cheer and discuss the wins and losses that will occur in the next few weeks.

March Madness is full of enthusiasm and excitement. But this year, let me challenge you to pause and ask yourself: Do I pour the same energy into my relationship with Christ that I do when filling out my bracket?

Does this question make sense, or is it madness? If it doesn’t make sense to you, let me challenge you with this Scripture: “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

If the message of the Lord’s cross doesn’t fully make sense to you, then maybe you are not yet a Christian and a beneficiary of his cross. If you are a Christian but your priorities aren’t what they should be, what needs to change? Consider the words of Romans 3:22-25:

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

Let this year’s March Madness be about more than just basketball. Let it be about life change by coming to the cross and being made right with God.

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18