March Madness

by Melody Green

Sports fans unite! This is a big month. Everywhere we look there are tournaments and trophies. Championships. Winners and losers. The recent talk of not keeping score at childrens games? Never gonna happen. We are created to compete. To strive for the gold. To succeed with excellence. To win the prize. The crown.

From Goliath to gladiators to gridiron, God knows all about sports. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
1 Cor. 24-25 NIV

Battle in Miniature

Each sporting event this month is a microcosm of the spiritual battles we fight everyday. In one way or another, we’ve all felt the thrill of victory -- the agony of defeat. But we can’t let the comfort of the thrill, nor the despondence of the agony, stall us for too long in our journey. We need to keep running the race towards God even when we’re limping, or perhaps while we’re being carried. After all, we are racing for the real gold. Streets of gold. The crown we win at our finish line is not like any crown won in the world. Our crown will be incorruptible.

We all have our cheerleaders and our enemies. But those who want to see us defeated need to deal with the Captain of our team. He is fierce and goes to war on our behalf. We serve the Champion of Champions and He’s never asleep at the wheel, although sometimes we might wonder... Our God is almighty and all powerful. We may lose a few battles but the ultimate victory has already been won for us.

Remember what Jeremiah proclaimed, “The LORD is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed; With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.” Jer. 20:11 NASB

Jeremiah knew his God, and his God is our God.
He will do no less for us.

High Court Gets Last Call

So this month while enjoying the games remember to stay strong in your own race. In your own personal battles. If you are on God’s side, He is on yours -- cheering you on. The enemy may be invisible or may be sitting right next to you. Call out to God. To fight for you. To defeat your enemy. To make things right and to keep your heart right.

Don’t give up, in spite of what the scoreboard in your head tries to tell you. God doesn’t keep score the same way we do. Whenever “team evil” wants to mess with you, remember who your Captain is. One day in His court all scores will be settled. Listen to Him and do what He says. He is your dread Champion!

Melody Green, 3/2/2009 2