March Madness!

It's March Madness Time! 

The NCAA basketball tournament held in March each year is the Super Bowl of college basketball.  During March Madness, brackets are posted in every office and restaurant.  Games are shown on televisions in offices during work hours.  Bars and restaurants are full every night with college basketball fans cheering on their favorite teams.  If you love college basketball, March is the best month of the year!

The NCAA tournament is made up of sixty eight at large teams.  Committees select teams based on their win/loss records during the regular season, quality of opponents, and coaching polls.  For teams to be selected, they must meet the criteria the men and women on the committee have created. Past performance, strong competition, and popularity are critical components for selection.  What if this was God's selection criteria for us?

Unlike the NCAA Tournament criteria, God's selection process is not based on our record.  In fact, God chooses us in spite of our past performances.  If God made the tournament selections, he would likely not choose the best teams.  He would choose the teams least likely to win. 

In Acts 9, Saul was known for persecuting and imprisoning the Lord's disciples until one day, the Lord chose him.  He struck him blind for three days and filled him with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus then changed Saul's name to Paul.  Moses was chosen to lead the people out of Israel despite his speech impediment.  David was selected to take down Goliath, the giant even though he was the youngest of Jesse's eight sons and had no experience other than tending sheep.  Jesus selected uneducated fishermen and a tax collector to carry his salvation message to the world.  He had the whole world to choose from and these were a few of his selections.  If God was making selections, the NCAA Tournament would be made up of Cinderella teams.

The Committee is limited to selecting sixty eight teams.  Aren't you glad God's criteria is not as stringent?  Aren't you glad he accepts us just as we are, in our worst condition?  Unlike the sixty seven teams in the NCAA Tournament who are defeated and eliminated for their failures, those of us in Christ always win!  

We are victorious!  We are all Champions!