"It's Not Worth It"

Heading into this week's ACC Men's Basketball Tournament, many considered the Duke Blue Devils one of the clear favorites to cut down the nets in Charlotte and at the NCAA Championship game.

But Duke's status as a front-runner during March Madness is now significantly less clear following an ankle injury to star freshman Cooper Flagg in Thursday's quarterfinal matchup against Georgia Tech.

At this point, it’s uncertain when Flagg might be available to return to action. However, if he can't get back to the court soon, it would significantly diminish the Blue Devils' chances of adding a sixth National Championship trophy to their display case.

Regardless of Flagg's ultimate timeline for a return, Duke is continuing to prepare for its current run at the ACC Tournament. To make the stakes even higher, Duke's semifinal contest on Friday evening is against none other than archrival North Carolina.

For as much as the Blue Devils would love to have Flagg on the court to increase their odds of beating the Tar Heels for a third time in the same season, Duke's head coach said that it was highly improbable that the likely top pick in the upcoming draft would suit up against UNC.

Jon Scheyer said about Flagg's status against UNC, "To be honest with you, I would have to be, like, convinced by everybody in the locker room when I go back there that he should play. It's not worth it. It just isn't."

There are specific times in sports when it isn't worth risking a player's health to gain a temporary win in the short term. Sometimes, teams must consider their big-picture goals and make a sacrifice to accomplish their greater desires.

As followers of Jesus, having a long-term perspective regarding our decisions is equally important. Even though we might yearn for something at a particular moment, there are times when it would be beneficial to say, "It's not worth it. It just isn't."

Perhaps the clearest example of this is how we deal with the different temptations we encounter throughout our lives.

Because we live in a fallen world, we can easily get swept up in allowing the world to influence how we think and act, especially if we are not intentionally guarding our hearts and renewing our minds with God's truth.

We can start believing that we need to do whatever is necessary to accumulate greater wealth, acquire more possessions, advance up the corporate ladder, or achieve specific metrics of success.

Yet, when we remember that our goal as followers of Jesus is not to be successful by the world's standards but to be faithful to God and to keep our eyes focused on eternity, we can say that an unhealthy focus on worldly success is "not worth it."

In Matthew 16:26 (LSB), Jesus asked His disciples, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Though this verse heavily emphasizes people who never turn to Jesus because they are too caught up in this world's affairs, true believers can undoubtedly get more involved in these things than they should.

We must always maintain a mindset and perspective focused on Heaven and the joys that await us there. After all, whatever excitement or success we could experience on earth isn't worth comparing to the joys awaiting God's people in eternity.

The same principle applies to idolizing money, possessions, success, and any temptation to sin. Whenever we desire to make a decision that goes against God's revealed truth, we must remember that any temporary happiness we might get from sin is not worth disobeying God.

In Hebrews 11:24-26 (ESV), Moses is set forth as an example of a person who refused to give in to the temptation for a momentary sense of pleasure because he was focused on something much more significant in the long-term:

"By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ's greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward."

Today, let's resolve to be people like Moses and refuse to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin because "it's not worth it," as we are focused on the reward to come.

I'm Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I have sinned against You. Help me keep my eyes fixed on eternity so I might live a pleasing life in Your sight. Thank you for the hope that You give us in Christ. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.