11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. [ PSALM 5:11 ]
Gooooooooooal!!!
With the FIFA World Cup (2026) completed there have surely been many cheers and tears spent during the weeks-long grueling and dueling on a plethora of pitches. While some earlier matches ended in a 0-0 tie, there could be no ties in the final. Someone had to score a point. And the only way to score and to win is by making a goal. If you nobody scores, nobody wins.
Interestingly, the longest soccer match ever played was in 1946. There were no penalty shootouts back then, so the “play-to-win” or “Golden Goal” game went to 3 hours and 23 minutes, but was halted in the 203rd minute due to fading darkness.
Godly Goals
What is/are your goal(s) in life? Who and what are you trusting to help you obtain and sustain it/them? Are you just prancing around the pitch, or do you have, know and are pursuing your purpose in life? Because no matter how glamorous and glorious your goals seem, if they aren’t bringing you closer to Christ and the goal of eternal life, then their glory will only eventually fade away into the darkness (Matthew 16:26).
Do you truly trust God and rely on Him to help you in every daily area and arena of your life, or just when you’ve been injured, or are losing the game?
Godly Goalies
If we could only see how many angels God has protecting our minds and hearts from the devil’s kicks—every day! We would not only be increasingly grateful, but we would desire to help block the dangers and devils trying to score and secure a victory over us. Sure, he may sneak in a few goals here and there, but it’s more often than not because we’re not paying (and praying) attention to the game. It’s when we let our guards down and the devil is waiting for us to look the other way, or he is actively distracting us to look away from God, so he can score.
The devil’s every attempt on goal is made more difficult by divine goalies diving into the path of the Adversary and adversity to help keep us safe.
Whether you’re a soccer fan, or any other kind of sports fan, set a new goal today. Strive to keep your eyes on Jesus more. And not just your eyes, but also your mind and heart! Let Him help guide and guard your goal and help you to reach your goals in life. And no matter what the scoreboard says, know that even though time is running out and we seem to be living in the fading darkness, Jesus is your defender and provider. And He still needs you to be His light in this world. And no matter how many goals you’ve missed, or goals the Adversary has scored on you, you are still called to serve! So rejoice that you are a child of God! Rejoice that you can choose to follow and become like Him and may you reach your mortal goals and especially your much longer goal of eternal life!