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Key Bible Verse: I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done (Philippians 3:7). Bonus Reading: Mark 8:34–37

Pistol" Pete Maravich was one of basketball's most dazzling players. As a collegiate player at Louisiana State Uni-versity, he set many NCAA scoring records, some of which still stand.

Through basketball, Pete developed a skill and learned self-discipline and teamwork. But he also crossed a line. He "banked" everything on basketball. In his autobiography, Heir to a Dream, he wrote, "I … considered it [basketball] the constant and ultimate supplier of all my needs. … My existence was based on reaching the top."

Basketball became Pete's God-substitute. But the law of diminishing returns set in. The more he invested in basketball, the less he received in personal fulfillment and meaning. During his NBA career, he prayed, "I've had it with this life of mine. All of it, the money, fame, and things have left me so empty."

Pete's despair drove him to Christ. Repenting, he sought out God and His righteousness. He wrote, "The transformation in my life was astonishing. … All the fame and fortune I had accumulated looked extremely pale when compared to the abundance of Christ in me." The law of increasing returns.

—James Hilt in Illinois

My Response: Have I so "had it" with life lived on my own that I am ready to turn it over to God?

Thought to Apply: Every story of conversion is the story of a blessed defeat. —C. S. Lewis (British scholar and author)

Adapted from Illinois by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Holy God, enable me to view sin as you do, so that I am determined to reject it.

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