March Madness or March Gladness
March Madness is a time when people like to predict winners of basketball games. Millions of people fill out March Madness brackets to show their skills.
I once thought Warren Buffett was growing senile when he offered to give $1 billion to anybody who had a perfect bracket. I learned that the odds of a perfect bracket are 1 in 92 quintillion—that’s seventeen zeroes. You have a better chance of winning two consecutive lotteries than you do in completing a perfect March Madness bracket!
This year really proves the point of how bad we are at predicting. In the first round a 16th seed upset a number one seed—that’s only the second time that’s happened in the history of the NCAA Tournament. This year was unique because no number one seed was in the final four. In fact, there were three teams in the final four who had never been there before!
We think that recruiting McDonald’s All-Americans should ensure wins. Not so. For the first time since 1979, this year’s final four did not have a single high school McDonald’s All-American playing!
This year’s March Madness just indicates that there is no way to have confidence in predicting basketball outcomes. Filling out the brackets this year was just an exercise in futility.
It’s sad how many people in life are always trying to predict and figure out how things are going to be. Life is more fickle than March Madness. Thinking that you’ve got everything figured out will turn out to be a bust. The Bible reminds us that there is a way that seems right to man, but the end of which is destruction. (Proverbs 14:12)
Holy Week is about events and principles you can count on. You will die. You will have no control over what happens after death unless you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. You cannot earn your way into Heaven. It is by grace and grace alone that you are saved. (Ephesians 2:4-10)
Making elaborate funeral plans won’t help. I am one hundred percent sure that if you have been saved by faith, you will live forever with God. Jesus said, “If you have known me then you have known my Father.” (John 14:5-7) We know the Father because we know His Son.
Paul assured us that because Christ rose from the dead, all who believe in Christ will rise again. No doubt! (I Corinthians 15:51-58) We also know that the Holy Spirit can fill our lives and give us power and direction to fulfill God’s plan. (Acts 1:8)
You will never have a perfect bracket in March Madness—you are not that smart. You can be assured that what happened Holy Week will continue to be true today and forever. Trusting in Jesus alone for life abundant here and life eternal is never a gamble—because gambling involves a degree of chance. No chance that God and His Word are wrong!
March Madness is filling out brackets and watching basketball. March Sadness is seeing brackets busted. March Gladness is understanding Holy Week and knowing who is going to win in the most important game—the game of life.
Is your March Madness, or Sadness, or Gladness?
