A Cavalier Attitude

We have been called into the body of Christ, and we are His servants - we not only serve the Lord
God, but we serve one another in humility. 1st Peter 4 states:
9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

Humility is a key to living a life pleasing to God - we humble ourselves before Him and we also possess that attitude of humility toward others, placing their needs above our own.  We use His gifts for His glory.  Because we live for Christ and are called into the service for our King, it changes our perspective and we see ourselves as part of something greater, for His cause, unified with our brothers and sisters in Christ for Kingdom purposes.

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Jesus, in a sense, had a team - He had 12 disciples whom He walked with, whom He set the example for, and whom He directed in order to carry out His mission.  And, that team made an impact.  A key
to that teamwork was humility. Jesus taught in Mark 10:
42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Well, March Madness, a.k.a. the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is well underway - the field will have been sliced from 68 to 64 to 32 to 16 by the end of the weekend.

It is likely that the Virginia Cavaliers will be there in the Sweet Sixteen - after all, they are the overall #1 seed for the tournament and for the South Region. They begin play tonight in first round action.

Their success is attributed to not only the quality players, but also a man named Tony Bennett - the coach of the Cavaliers, not the singer.  According to CBNNews.com:

In 2015, a few seasons after he came to the school in Charlotesville, Va., he told the Daily Press that his Christian faith is the bedrock of his coaching style and career.

"My faith—that defines me. That's what gives me my meaning and purpose and how I try to treat people with my life," he said. "I make so many mistakes. The fact that I know I'm forgiven is probably the greatest joy that I have, but that is significant. That is the bedrock of my life and therefore the foundation of why I coach and how I coach, how I try to treat people and my perspective on this whole thing."

Bennett teaches his players five pillars, which are "biblically-based," according to the article: humility, passion, unity, servanthood, and thankfulness.

He says, "They are life lessons and they are very specific to basketball in ways you wouldn't think..."

The article quotes Roger Cheeks, the athletic director of Regent University, which is located in Virginia Beach:

"You have to have the mental and emotional capacity to deal with loss," Cheeks said. "As Paul told us 'forgetting those things behind'...you have to look forward to your next meet and match in a positive way. If you hold onto the way you have been defeated it will affect your future."

Cheeks also provides this analysis:

"It is interesting being a Christian and understanding the body of Christ. Everybody on the team may not have the same level of experience, but when you put them together something happens," he said. "No matter what the sport is, the mindset will be to honor the weakest player, more than the strongest player."

It is obvious that Tony Bennett wants to prepare his players for not only athletic victories but for life.  And, those five pillars - humility, passion, unity, servanthood, and thankfulness, while they have broad applications on and off the court, are certainly key components for a Christian who is seeking to live a life that honors God.

We do have to make sure that we are humbling ourselves before God.  And, we also have to make sure that we are not proud or boastful in the way that we behave.  Just as team spirit and cohesion are built through humility, the proper function of the body of Christ also involves that vertical and horizontal humility.

We can also think about having a passion for what we are doing.  I don't think God wants us to live life half-heartedly, with a spirit of complacency or complaining.  He wants us to have joy in all circumstances.

God is the glue - He enables us to walk in unity.  And, that is built as we serve one another.  Jesus taught that He did not come to be served, but to serve - He gave His life as our perfect sacrifice and as our example, demonstrating His great love.

And, He also desires for us to be thankful in everything.  We can be grateful to God for His love, our relationship with Him, and the blessings that He shares with us. Our servant's heart grows as we gain the proper perspective of the life that God wants us to live.