With March Madness almost in the books, the approach of the NBA and NHL playoffs and the opening of the MLB season, there is plenty of emphasis on sports. In fact, many of our children will soon be beginning their Little League Baseball and Soccer seasons. The golf courses will open and many "week-end sportsman" will attack their favorite links. I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to getting out and getting active.

Some time ago, I ran across this list of Top 10 reasons that people give for not going to Sporting events. I think you may enjoy it.

10. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.

9. The games are always scheduled when I wanted to do other things.

8. The band played some songs I had never heard before.

7. Some games went into overtime and I got home late.

6. I was sitting with some hypocrites - They only came to see what others were wearing.

5. The referee made a decision which I could not agree with.

4. The coach never "called on me" to play.

3. The seats were hard.

2. The people I sat by didn’t seem very friendly.

1. Every time I went, they asked me for money.

 

As I thought about this list, there was one primary reason not to give up on sports. An intangible that is difficult to describe. That is a love for the game. When you love something, no matter how it seems to go against you, you still want to be involved. When you have a passion for something, it doesn’t matter when there are things that you disagree with, you continue on. When you discover a "love for the game" you are willing to give up many things to go on in your pursuit of your pastime.

 

I think that the same reasons people give for not attending sporting events, are reasons that they give for not attending Church. It seems that the same of kinds of things that could "offend" people in the athletic arena are the same kinds of things that seem to bother them in the religious realm. Maybe they have given up on God because they have not discovered God’s love or the love of God’s people.

 

Let me share some truths with you:

 

Romans 5:8 declares: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God shows us his love when He sent His Son to the cross to die for our sins. That is what Easter is all about and when we discover that kind of love, it changes our lives. The Bible says "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). You see, God loved you so much that He wants to give you a gift. That gift is everlasting life, eternal life, Heaven as a home. But the Bible continues "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:17-18). If you have the Son, you have life, if you do not have the Son, there is no life. The question is, have you received God’s gift of eternal life? If not, you have not experienced God’s love.

 

Now, let’s get back to our list of giving up on going to Church. You see, once you have experienced God’s love, you develop a passion for Him, His house and His people. There are no perfect people and there are no perfect churches, but there is a perfect God who did everything possible to have a relationship with you and loves you no matter what. When you experience that kind of love, it changes your life.

 

Let me encourage you to discover God’s love. When you do, I assure you that your will have a love for His people and a love for His house.