The Final Goal: Out Of Our Hearts

Feature, The Final Goal | June 21, 2010 12:05 am

TFG_210610
Read: Mark 7:14-23

It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart. – Mark 7:15

The 1986 World Cup belonged to Diego Maradona. His status as a legend was cemented there, mainly due to his quarter-final display against England.

Maradona’s second goal of the 2-1 win has since been voted the greatest in World Cup history. Picking the ball up in his own half, it took just 11 touches to weave his way past 5 England players before poking the ball round Peter Shilton and into a gaping England net. In those 12 seconds he proved himself to be one of the greatest footballers who ever lived.

But that game is remembered just as much for Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal. It was a deliberate handball, but it was allowed to stand. He claimed divine help where there was none. Maradona’s greatest achievement was accompanied by a moment of dishonesty.

That reflects a truth the Bible tells us about human nature. Jesus said that it’s not what goes into us that makes us unclean, but what comes out (Mark 7:20-23). Even at our best we are capable of selfishness and sin. And because our problem is on the inside, we can’t put it right by ourselves. It’s no good doing things our own way and breaking God’s rules. We need real divine help. —Jon Lindsay

Our character is demonstrated by what we do when we
think that no one will know what we are doing.

Leave a Comment

Related

ODJ: man of God
0

ODJ: man of God

  I used to struggle massively with making decisions. When confronted with options I seldom experienced confidence that I would make the right decision. One winter, I flew to visit some dear friends who owned a ski resort. Rather than take advantage of free skiing, however, I opted to spend my days by the fireplace [...]

Published on December 12, 2011 12:02 am
ODB: delayed consequences
0

ODB: delayed consequences

As a child, I learned to behave properly when adults rewarded my good behavior and punished my bad behavior. This worked pretty well because the reward or punishment generally came quickly after the behavior, making the relationship between the cause and effect unmistakable. When I became an adult, however, life got more complex, and the [...]

Published on January 26, 2010 12:37 am
ODJ: power isn’t happiness
0

ODJ: power isn’t happiness

I recently watched Ghosts of Girlfriends’ Past. The movie (which is a loose adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol) is about a hedonistic, womanizing bachelor who despises the idea of love and marriage. The night before his younger brother’s wedding, he is visited by ghosts representing his past, present, and future girlfriends. By the [...]

Published on July 15, 2010 12:02 am
ODJ: struggle to surrender
1

ODJ: struggle to surrender

Recently, I found myself chuckling over a radio 
 commercial for car stereos. A couple of men joked 
 about two things you don’t want to do on your own. The first was to perform surgery on yourself: “Hmmm . . . I think I’ll take out my appendix this weekend.” That’s definitely not a [...]

Published on February 14, 2010 12:11 am