In the basketball crazy environment of Western Kentucky, this is many people’s favorite time of the year. It is March Madness. For the high schools the regional tournaments have concluded, and the Southeastern Conference will begin their annual tournament later this week in Nashville. On Sunday the pairings will be announced for the field of sixty-four in the college basketball championship, and then the weekends between now and the end of April will be filled with basketball.
The word often employed to describe the basketball fans in our area is rabid, which is not the most encouraging of terms. Does anyone really want to be described as an animal foaming at the mouth and ready to bite you? Having witnessed some of the fans in our area I have to admit this description may be most appropriate. People rearrange their schedules and even get off work early just to watch their favorite team in action.
Do you ever wonder if this makes Jesus a little jealous? Do we ever get off work early to serve Him? Do we rearrange our schedules just to spend a little more time with Him or to seek to serve Him? The Bible tells us in numerous places “God is a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:5) This indicates He desires our undivided attention and how often does He receive that from us? He could be jealous as we appear to have more zeal and enthusiasm for our team than we do for accomplishing His will or learning His Word. During March listen to yourself and watch yourself to discover who or what is most important to you. The Lord is jealous for our affections and attention.