I am a college basketball fan, and this month is the most exciting time of the year, called March Madness.

Sixty-eight teams have been invited to participate in a season-ending tournament. Some have been automatically invited because of winning their conference while others were at the mercy of a committee that decided if they were worthy to get in. Naturally, some are disappointed while others are elated.

This committee has looked at several teams, deciding that they just didn’t do quite enough to get in. Many coaches, players and fans eagerly waited, only to be frustrated, being turned away.

As Christians, we don’t have to sit and wait to see if we will get into heaven. We can have assurance that we will get in. We don’t have to worry whether we have earned our way in, whether we have witnessed to enough people or attended enough church services or performed enough acts of kindness.

The writer of 1 John tells us in 5:13, “I write these things so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

The prerequisite to get in is to decide to be a Christ follower and live for him.

The good news is that every person, no matter what our past record, is invited to participate and can have this assurance that when we die, we can know where we are going.