Gonzaga hitting a buzzer-beating three to beat UCLA in overtime on Saturday night was an incredible game to witness!
Tonight the excitement continues, as we get to watch a National Championship with Gonzaga and Baylor - two number one seeds for the first time since 2005.
These two teams have a combined .967 winning percentage (the highest ever for a title game) and Baylor is looking to be the first team to beat Gonzaga all season.
Winning a National Championship would be a big deal for both of these programs, but Gonzaga also has an undefeated season on the line. Considering a team hasn’t had a perfect record since Indiana during the 1975-76 season, Zaga has a major opportunity to make history.
When the tournament began, we knew Gonzaga was in the pursuit of perfection with the pressure to go undefeated. But head coach Mark Few and his team had a slightly different focus and approach: win a championship!
Coach Few explained in an interview, “We just want to win this tournament. That's all we want to do is just win this tournament. Obviously, if we win the tournament we end up undefeated, but I've never heard any of the guys talk about it. The staff doesn't talk about it. I don't talk about it. Gosh, man, we just want to win this thing."
Gonzaga is pursuing the championship, not the undefeated season. However, if they win tonight and receive the championship trophy, they will also get credit for having a perfect season.
There are a few important parallels that we can unpack from this. Yesterday (and every day), you and I celebrated the wonderful reality that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sin, was resurrected and is alive.
Because of this truth and by placing our faith in Jesus, we are saved and forgiven. When we receive Christ, we become victorious in Him and at the same time, we also get credit for “a perfect season” because of His righteousness. We can’t “go undefeated” without experiencing victory in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (AMP) tells us, “He made Christ who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God .”
Romans 4:5 (AMP) explains, ”But to the one who does not work , but believes and completely trusts in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God).”
When we receive this wonderful grace and salvation, we begin a life of following Jesus. We are now on a “pursuit of perfection,” not to be saved, but because we desire to become more and more like Jesus, our perfect Lord, and Savior.
However, as we consider the example of Gonzaga, our focus shouldn’t be on “going undefeated” or being perfect, but rather to seek after Jesus with everything we have, keeping our eyes fixed on Him, and chasing after Him as our greatest desire.
As we follow Jesus, we rest in His grace and love, so we don’t need to feel the “pressure to go undefeated.” Thankfully, in freedom, as we focus on Him, pursue Him and know Him deeply, we end up being transformed to become more like Him who is Holy.
Today, let’s allow this prayer to give us great encouragement:
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through ; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
"Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you , and He will do it ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; AMP).
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing Jesus to pay my penalty for sin and counting His righteousness as mine. I pray You’d transform every area of my life and every aspect of my character as I pursue Jesus and desire to become more like Him. It’s in His name I pray, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
In what ways does your approach need to change from “pursuing perfection” to resting in Christ’s righteousness?
What is the difference between fixing our eyes on Jesus and being transformed...vs. fixing our eyes on our behavior and trying to “go undefeated” in our strength?
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