March To The Miracle: Part 1

How psyched are you for March Madness? I don't know about you but that is my favorite time of the year. Printing out multiple brackets and guessing different scenarios, or going onto ESPN.com and having a family challenge. We love trying to guess who will win the national championship. It's exciting to watch the teams play and to give it all they've got to be the best team in the country. When the underdogs play the highly-favored teams, you want them to win, just so there's unexpected excitement. Just like what happened last year when Kemba Walker led a mediocre UConn team, during the season, to an undefeated tournament record with winning the national championship; Butler returning to the finals for a second year in a row; VCU making it to the Final Four by upsetting some of the best teams in the country. It's amazing to see what happens in March because you will never know what can happen. What kind of mindset do those teams have when going into the tournament? They get "mad" about playing the game and "march" towards the "miracle" of winning the national championship.

You're probably wondering why I have those three words in quotes aren't you? Before we get to that lets start by comparing March Madness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teams in the tournament as yourself, keep that thought in your mind. Okay now let's get to the first word that's in quotes.. MAD: What does it mean for the basketball teams to get mad about playing in the tournament? It means getting themselves prepared, focused, and hyped up to play. What does it mean to get mad about the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Let's go to the scriptures to find this answer out. In Alma 34:17 of the Book of Mormon it reads:

"Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;"

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  Then in Moroni 8:25:
  
  
  "And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins;"
  
  
  Finally Alma 9:27: 
  
  
  "And behold, [Jesus Christ] cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name."
  
  
  These are the first steps that are needed that will get us prepared, focused, and hyped up to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is an amazing blessing to have faith in our Savior Jesus Christ that he can take away our sins through repentance and baptism by immersion for a remission of our sins. Which is what the next word in quotes is about, but you'll have to wait for my next blog.. So stay tuned!