A Life of Madness

March Madness is upon us! This is the time of year when college basketball takes on a whole new intensity. It's what I like to call "do or die" as teams from every conference (big & small) fight their way to the National Championship. Although yesterday was just the beginning, we have already seen some Davids take down Goliaths. The upsets have already begun and if this year's tournament is like previous ones, we will see more.

You know what it takes to win?
Hard Work
Determination
Confidence in Your Own Abilities
Teamwork
Faith

Be sure that you don't overlook that last point (I put it in bold letters just so you wouldn't miss it). Faith - belief; trust; confidence; conviction... In regards to basketball, faith is believing that you can win against all odds. As it pertains to life, faith is a belief that God is able in spite of our circumstances. When true and genuine faith is played out in life, we live a life of madness!

I feel sorry for folks who have never had to trust God for anything. Seriously! Sure, it might make life seem easier, but it's also a life that has never been strengthened by faith. Jesus said (in regards to His resurrection) "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." We are truly blessed when we are able to put full confidence and trust in God. He is faithful!

Romans 4:3, "For what does Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.'" Oswald Chambers says, "Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason - a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person..." Abraham's faith became his righteousness. Why? His faith led him to walk with a God who promised him something better. His faith prompted him to leave a life of comfort and venture into the unknown. And it was his faith that allowed him to receive all the things that God promised.

This area of faith is where the believer needs to be careful. We can become presumptuous. We can actually get to a place where we believe that since God did it this way over here that He will do the same over there (read about Moses and getting water from the rock). A life of faith not only trusts in the "where" but also in the "how". A lower seed in the NCAA Tournament may beat one team with a buzzer beater but the next time they might "blow out" an opponent. Then again, they might win a game on the free-throw line. Regardless of how it happens, it's all about the journey.

What is the madness that God is asking you to walk in? Is He asking you to believe for resources that you can't see? Maybe He is prompting you to believe that there is a healing that the doctors can't seem to prescribe. Or is He asking you to walk in "blind faith" for something else? Regardless...it's about the journey. God is fashioning you in the same way that He has fashioned many of the great witnesses of the past. In the end, you will see God perform what He has promised.

"A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, like soaring on eagles' wings, but is a life of day-in and day-out consistency; a life of walking without fainting (Isaiah 40:31)." - Oswald Chambers

My Prescription for Your Madness:
- Be Willing to Work Hard (give it all you've got)
- Have a Determination about You that WILL NOT GIVE UP!
- Trust in Your God-given Abilities
- Live in Unity with Your Spouse, Church Family, Etc. (Team Effort)
- HAVE FAITH! In fact, never leave home without it.

*Oswald Chambers quotes from "My Utmost for His Highest" for March 19.