MARCH MADNESS OR MARCH GLADNESS…
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
*MADNESS: The state of being mentality ill, extremely foolish behavior, chaotic, frenzied, thinking that can be dangerous, folly, lacking insight, anxiety can lead to madness,
* THERE ARE 4 TYPES OF MADNESS: 1. Bad-- mad; 2.ANGRY-- MAD; 3. SAD-- mad; 4. GLAD-- mad…
*GLADNESS: joy, wellbeing, awesome, see the best, cheerful, delight, content.
Text:
Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Psalm 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
LET US CONSIDER MADNESS… IN TEXAS ALONE THERE ARE 24 PREACHERS’ PARSONAGES WORTH MORE THAN $1 MILLION DOLLARS.
One preacher has a $14 million, 15,700 square ft. home. He owns million dollar homes in California.
Another TV evangelist has an 18,279 square ft. HOME, $10, 825,462. This one owns several other properties, 25 acre, 35 acre farms. I can find easily pastors having homes: 2.8 million, 7 million, 5.5 million. One TV evangelist owns 3 properties worth more than 5.4 million. Another TV evangelist has a 40,000 square ft., 25 rooms $20 million … This is just the tip of the iceberg. Many of these properties are not listed as church property but rather to personal and family control. If you do a computer search it will make a person sick of the homes valued at many millions of dollars.
We need not discuss tax exempt jets registered to companies not to the church ministries. One preacher has two jets worth over 18 million. Another has a jet exemption of over 20 million. This does not count matching collectors automobiles, etc.
LEAVE BEHIND? WHAT WILL I LEAVE BEHIND? MADNESS? GLADNESS?
A PREACHER NAMED JOHN WESLEY WAS BORN IN 1703. He was one of the greatest evangelist of his day. JOHN WESLEY had a pure attitude and motive in ministry. Wesley said: HAVING, FIRST, GAINED ALL YOU CAN, AND, SECOND SAVED ALL YOU CAN, THEN GIVE ALL YOU CAN.
Wesley limited his use of money so he had more money to give to the poor. In his 1st year of ministry he received 30 pounds of money. He lived on 28 pounds and gave 2. Year two Wesley doubled his income to 60 pounds, he gave away 32 pounds. (More than average yearly salary.) His 3rd year he made 90 pounds, he gave 62 pounds. He advanced to 1,400 pounds and only spent 30 pounds. He gave 1,370 pounds that year.
Wesley died at 87, the only money he had was what was in his pocket. Wesley preached 53 years. All he had was a handful of books, a Geneva gown that he preached in and 6 SILVER SPOONS, that people had given him. He left instructions to give the SIX SILVER SPOONS TO EACH OF THE POOR MEN THAT WILL CARRY ME TO MY GRAVE.
WHAT DID JOHN WESLEY LEAVE BEHIND? THOUSANDS OF SAVED PEOPLE, AND YES SOMETHING ELSE… THE GREAT METHODIST CHURCH. He could have died rich. He built ORPHANAGES, printed Bibles, and with his brother CHARLES printed the METHODIST HYMN BOOK. At death JOHN WESLEY DIED WORTH ABOUT $30.00.
MARCH MADNESS? “CINDERELLA” WEAR THE CROWN OF MARCH MADNESS?
There is a nationwide anticipation and most watched event called MARCH MADNESS. The NCAA DIVISION 1 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. This tournament started in 1939 with 8 teams participating. Oregon beat Ohio State that first year. In 1951 the NCAA enlarged the tourney to 16 teams. In 1968 the tourney went to 64 teams, then 65. In 2011 the tourney grew into 68 teams to play for the championship.
Today 68 teams compete in 7 rounds for the national championship. There are 4 regions that play in a single elimination tournament of a 3 weekend period. Each winning team advances, the losing teams go home. The games go
from 68 to 32. Then it is called the SWEET SIXTEEN, the ELITE EIGHT and then the FINAL FOUR. This reduces the field to the national championship game.
32 TEAMS RECEIVE AN AUTOMATIC BID BY WINNING THEIR CONFERENCES. The remaining 36 are given AT LARGE BIDS based on their game records. This is a single elimination tourney.
THE BRACKETS OF 68 are broken down into 4 regions. Each team in the bracket is given a seed, 1 through 16. The higher seeds play the lowest seeds. Occasionally there will be a CINDERELLA TEAM that will beat the higher seed. The games that are played in the 4 regions are supposedly NEUTRAL SITES. So there are 4 number 1 seeds.
THE NCAA TOURNEY has the University at Los Angeles, California holds the record of 11 national titles. The University of Kentucky holds 8 NCAA DIVISION ONE COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNEYS, 1948 was the first. 2012 was the last championship for UK.
NO ONE HAS EVER HAD A PERFECT MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL BRACKET ON RECORD. THE CHANCES OF PICKING A PERFECT NCAA DIVISION 1 PERFECT BRACKET ARE 1 IN 9.2 QUINTILLION… 9,223,372,036,854,775,8O8.
TALK ABOUT MAD? I REFUSE TO CHANGE: NEBUCHADNEZZAR HAD A CHOICE ABOUT MADNESS… 7 YEARS OF CHOICES?
Daniel 4:16 Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
Daniel 4:16 (MSG) Let him lose his mind and get an animal's mind in exchange, And let this go on for seven seasons.
CHANGE COMES WHEN THERE IS AN ATTITUDE CHANGE.
Daniel 4:36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
COME LET US REASON MARCH GLADNESS IS A DAILY CHOICE… THE DANDELIONS AND WILD ONIONS HAVE COME, THE FLOWERS CALLED SNOW DROPS, THE BRIGHT YELLOW FLOWERS: FORSYTHIA, THE TULIPS, THE WEEPING WILLOWS TURN GREEN… ALL TO REMIND US SPRING NEARS… I AM EXPECTING A REFRESHING FROM THE LORD… NEW LIFE! CHOICES? COME LET US CELEBRATE… FEEL THE SUN? FEEL THE SON? MARCH GLADNESS!
Joy when the lost comes home.
Luke 15:5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
WILL WE LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD? GOD’S PLAN IS TO BE FULL OF JOY! AND THAT OUR JOY REMAIN.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
CONCLUSION: MARCH SHOULD BE A MONTH OF GLADNESS, JOY, PRAISE, ENCOURAGEMENT AND SPIRITUAL REFRESHING.
Psalm 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Jeremiah 33:11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.
Isaiah 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
