March 2009

It won’t be too long and “March Madness” will be upon us. If you’re not a college basketball fan, “March Madness” is the term used for the NCAA basketball tournament when sixty-four teams from around the nation are chosen and then play to see which team survives as the eventual national champion. It’s a basketball lover’s dream, and a lonely time for spouses who may not share that same passion.

There’s something unique about “March Madness”. Talk around the water coolers are occupied with it. Friends become foes depending on what team you are rooting for, Evenings and weekends are spent with eyes glued to televisions, either at home or a favorite food establishment. Glory be to the basketball gods! Wait a minute . . . did I really say that? That’s how it seems to appear to me. The hype is like a month long Super Bowl. Talk about passion! Talk about commitment to an event!

I’m quietly reminded by Scripture that it is easy to let any thing, any person, any event take preeminence in my life. But the reality is; only One is Supreme – God and He is to be continually preeminent in our lives. I’ll admit that it’s easy to give lip service to that belief, but when other events or things come into my life that I’m passionate about, I find that I usually show more passion for those temporal things than I do for God. What would happen if I talked as much about God, and with as much excitement as I do a basketball game? It’s so easy to let our little “gods” become our big “Gods” while letting the true big God, become little in our lives.

So what’s the antidote? I think we need to preach to ourselves on a daily basis what is taught in Scripture, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV). I believe we need to saturate our hearts and minds with thoughts of the greatness and beauty of our God, of His magnificent love shown to us through Jesus Christ who should be our greatest Treasure.

What would it look like if we gathered on Sunday and sang songs of praise as loudly as we could? If we shouted praises to God as a congregation? If we showed forth with passion what Jesus Christ means to us in our praise? It’s been well said, “Those who cheer loudly at a game are called ‘fans’; those who talk a lot about Jesus Christ are called ‘fanatics’”. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s high time we show where our allegiance really is . . . let’s be passionate about praising the Lord!

Praising Him with you,

Pastor Leslie