“Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.” – Luke 15:6

When the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen in 1966, there followed nearly a week of anxiety and frustration as the authorities frantically searched for it. But then amazingly the World Cup trophy was found by a dog called Pickles! After England won the tournament they also celebrated the recovery of the trophy and invited Pickles to the party. His reward was being allowed to lick the plates clean.

Jesus taught that we are all actually in a similar situation as the abandoned trophy. The trophy was designed with a particular purpose. When it was discarded and lost, it was fairly useless. We too are made with a purpose. We are made by God to live with Him and enjoy knowing Him. When we don’t do that, our lives will always be lacking His comfort.

But Jesus tells the story of a shepherd who seeks for his lost sheep to illustrate God’s compassion and ability to bring us into a relationship with Him. The shepherd waits to proclaim, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep” (Luke 15:6). Just like England celebrated Pickles’ discovery of the Cup trophy, so too will all of heaven rejoice when we come to know God. God Himself is seeking us and offering a real relationship with Him. —Chris Wale

Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Peter and the apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” – Acts 5:29

Cameroon ran into trouble when they planned to wear sleeveless shirts at the 2002 World Cup. Immediately the kit was ruled illegal. Team officials quickly added black sleeves so that Cameroon could still take part in the competition.

Cameroon made a wise decision to conform to the established rules, but the early church refused to conform. They understood their own dependency on God and the need for everyone to trust in Jesus. When faced with this message, the authorities reacted in a similar way as the governing bodies did to Cameroon—they put restrictions against them. They went so far as to threaten and imprison them so as to stop the church from speaking the good news of Jesus. However the church stood firm. Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29).

Similarly, we are called to obey God before all others. Naturally that will make us stand out in the world. We need to stand out, like the early church, so people will see that we love Jesus and that we are living the life we were made for. Through the Bible, we will be guided by God to obey Him first, and when the pressure to conform hits, we can keep our eternal relationship with Him as our first priority. —Chris Wale

In a world that tries to squeeze us into its mold,
following Christ is the ultimate nonconformity.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. – John 14:6

Ten stadiums, 31 days, 32 teams, 63 games, 736 players, a potential 3,789,909 spectators and more than 26 billion television viewers will make up this year’s World Cup tournament. But there will only be one winner. Practice, prediction and preparations will only go so far. In the end, it is certain that only one team will win.

Similarly, there are countless different opinions on how to live life well, and they all cry for our attention with convincing voices. So many opinions are driven by a sincere desire to please God and attain a lasting relationship with Him. But when things come to an end—when we face death once and for all—what certainty can we have that we’ve lived our lives as we should have?

The words of Jesus give us the answer to that question. There’s only one way to have a relationship with God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

That might seem like an arrogant claim. But why not read the gospels and ask yourself: Who else can do what Jesus does? Who else has the answer to our sin problem?

Jesus Christ is the only certainty, both in this life and for our eternal future. —Jon Lindsay

He saved us, not because of the righteous things
we had done, but because of His mercy. —Titus 3:5

We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. – 2 Corinthians 4:7

You might have been called many things in your life. But I wonder if anyone’s ever called you a “fragile clay jar”?

That’s what Paul, one of the Bible writers, said life is like for Christians. Christians are “fragile clay jars containing this great treasure [the good news of Jesus Christ]. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). When people accept the truth of the Bible and start to
trust Jesus they should no longer live for themselves, but for the God who saves them (v.10).

So what about Christian footballers? Are they to be idolised for their skill, wealth and influence? This is what Ze Roberto, the Brazil left winger, has to say: “You shouldn’t look at us in this way. The only one who never sinned was Jesus. We are all human. We all sin but Jesus came for sinners. . . . Don’t look at people, look at Jesus.”

Ze Roberto seems to understand the reality of living the Christian life. No one is perfect, and we continue to do things which show we don’t trust God completely. But the role of the Christian, whether we are great footballers or simply spectators, is to point people to the Lord Jesus who died for us in spite of our sins. —Jon Lindsay

I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
—The apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13

[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. – Revelation 21:4

For English football fans, one World Cup match lives long in memory. It’s the 1990 semifinal against West Germany. England lost the match on penalties, yet the most memorable aspect of the game was what happened to Paul Gascoigne.

Gascoigne received his second yellow card in the match, requiring his suspension from the next match if England went through. He would miss the final no matter what. Television captured the despair and
disappointment that left him in tears.

That moment was a picture of what this life can be like. Our actions hurt ourselves and others. Unfair circumstances leave us in misery. Our eyes too can well up with those helpless tears as we face death, sorrow and pain.

But this isn’t what God wants for us. He is a loving God who is coming to dwell with us to “to wipe away every
tear” (Revelation 21:3-4). He has promised that when Jesus returns, His kingdom will reign where “there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain” (v.4).

We live in a world filled with tears, but God has promised love and healing when we come to Him, and certain hope for the future where we can live with Him. Let’s give our lives to Him, and He will wipe away our tears. —Chris Wale

Heaven: No tears, no pain, no death, no sorrow.

The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. – 2 Peter 3:9

Time is running out for the World Cup. After each tournament, the name of the winning country and the year of their World Cup victory are engraved on the bottom side of the trophy. But space on the base will run out in 2038.

The Bible warns that our time is running out as well. “The day of the Lord” is the phrase used to refer to the time when Jesus returns to judge the world. We are told it will come “as unexpectedly as a thief” (2 Peter 3:10).

It is easy to be complacent about Jesus’ return and not worry too much about it, but we are told the whole earth is reserved for this day and now awaits it. “The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise . . . . No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (v.9). Jesus is definitely coming back. The reason He hasn’t yet is so that we have time to give our lives to Him before it’s too late.

We know the current World Cup trophy won’t run out of space until 2038, but our time to turn to Jesus may run out tomorrow. Let’s not waste anymore time living without Him! Turn to Him today! —Chris Wale

Time waits for no one,
but Jesus waits for us to turn to Him.

You reach out Your hand, and the power of Your right hand saves me. – Psalm 138:7

Edwin van der Sar, goalkeeper for Manchester United, had a safe pair of hands. He kept the ball from entering the net for 1,302 minutes—a world record in one season! It means that for almost 15 games of 90 minutes each, no one was able to score even one goal against his team while he was between the goalposts. It took a goal in March 2009 to finally bring his remarkable streak to an end.

The psalmist David found comfort in the safest pair of hands—God’s hands. He wrote of God’s protection in Psalm 138, “You will stretch out Your hand . . . and Your right hand will save me” (v.7). Like David, we can look to God’s safe hands to keep us from spiritual threats and danger.

Another assurance from God’s Word that followers of Christ have is Jude 24-25: “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to Him who alone is God, our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

That doesn’t mean we won’t ever stumble. But it does mean we won’t stumble so badly that He cannot pick us up. His pair of safe hands can never fail—ever! —C. P. Hia

Our salvation is secure because God does the holding.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all. – Isaiah 53:6

Football games are not decided just by goals, but often by refereeing decisions. In the 1978 World Cup, when Brazil played Sweden, Brazil’s Zico headed a goal from the final corner only to find that the referee had already blown the full-time whistle. It would have been the winner, but the match ended 1-1. Many observers
believed the referee had ended the match prematurely.

But it is not just football history that is affected by bad decisions. At the very centre of human history is the worst decision ever made—to crucify Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life on earth before God, yet He was killed like a criminal.

Thankfully God knew this would happen. In fact, it was for this very reason Jesus came to this earth. By His death “the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). God was completely in control, even though it looked at the time as if Jesus was a failure. He actually made the necessary sacrifice for us to be able to have forgiveness and friendship with God. On the outside, Jesus’ death looked like a careless decision by the authorities. But it was actually God’s decision to send Jesus to die so that we could have life. Let’s not make a really bad decision and ignore what Jesus did for us. —Chris Wale

The only perfect human being was crucified for our sins.

After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered He had said this. – John 2:22

World Cup Finals are often a time for the unexpected. In 1966 the world watched incredulously as the little-known footballing nation of North Korea defeated Italy on the way to a quarterfinal match with Portugal. The crowd of 52,000 at Goodison Park were even more stunned when North Korea went 3-0 up against Portugal in the space of just 24 exhilarating minutes. Could this be an embarrassing exit for one of the tournament favourites? But Portugal star Eusebio and his team performed one of the greatest turnarounds in Cup history to win the game 5-3. For the next 36 years, North Korea’s improbable run made it the most successful Asian team in the history of the World Cup.

Israel expected that their long-promised Saviour would ride into Jerusalem as a conqueror and they would be set free from Roman rule. They didn’t expect Him to die on a cross.

Then everyone assumed that death had defeated Him as He lay in the tomb. But in the greatest turnaround that history has ever known Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. Death was the loser; Jesus the victor. When we put our trust in Him we are the beneficiaries—just as God had planned. —Kevin Gregory

There is no need to fear our greatest enemy, death,
when we put our trust in our greatest champion, Jesus.

I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. – Malachi 3:6

Jose Batista of Uruguay holds an unfortunate record. It took Batista just 56 seconds to receive a red card against Scotland at the 1986 World Cup. We might feel sorry for Jose, but just put yourself in the shoes of his manager! Suddenly his whole game plan went out the window simply because one player made a mistake.

We all know the irritation and upheaval that can occur when our plans change. But what a comfort that we have a God whose plans never change. God’s plans are not altered by our decisions. He doesn’t resort to Plan B, even if we choose to reject Him.

Malachi’s hearers were reminded of this as he railed against their hard and adulterous hearts (Malachi 3:5). They needed to be reminded of God’s faithfulness; after all, that’s the reason they were not consumed (v.6)!

The great news of Malachi’s prophecy is the arrival of God Himself (v.1). This was seen in the life and death of Jesus Christ. That was God’s plan all along, not to make a knee-jerk reaction to our sin but rather to deal with it once and for all through Jesus Christ.

You’ll struggle to count the number of times plans change at this year’s World Cup. But with our rescue from sin, there is no Plan B—just an ever-faithful God. —Jon Lindsay

In our ever-changing world,
we can trust our unchanging God.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true. – 2 Timothy 3:16

There has never been a referee quite like Pierluigi Collina. Collina had a presence on the football pitch most footballers long for, and an authority to go with it. For 6 consecutive years he won the award for World’s Best Referee. In 2002 he was given the ultimate honour as he officiated the World Cup final between Brazil
and Germany.

Everyone knew they were in for a fair game when Collina took to the field. His words and decisions commanded huge respect.

Two thousand years ago a man named Paul wrote to his friend Timothy about the authority of words, but the
words Paul had in mind were in a totally different league than Collina’s. Paul was talking about the words of God (2 Timothy 3:16). Those words are authoritative in every single part of life: for what we should and shouldn’t know, as well as for what we must and mustn’t do. After all, if God made the world, He surely knows the best way to live in it. And above all, God’s Word teaches us to live for Him and God uses it to “equip His people to do every good work” (v.17).

There are all sorts of things which claim authority over our lives, but only the Word of God is really worth listening to. —Jon Lindsay

In the pages of the Bible, we learn the will and ways of the One who created us.

Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains. – Proverbs 14:13

In early 1994, when our family found out that the US football team would be playing in my home state of Michigan in the World Cup, we knew we had to go.

What a great time we had as we went to the Pontiac Silverdome to see the US take on Switzerland! It was one of the most remarkable events of our lives.

There was just one problem. One of our four children, 9-year-old Melissa, couldn’t join us. While we enjoyed the event, it was not the same without her. Even in our joy at being there, we felt sadness because of her absence.

As I think back on that day, I’m reminded that our sadness then is a little like our sadness now that Melissa is gone from this life—having died in a car accident 8 years after that game. While we cherish the help of the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3), even that great comfort doesn’t change the reality of her empty chair at family gatherings. Scripture doesn’t tell us that God wipes away our sadness in this life, but it does tell us that God is faithful and will comfort us.

If you have lost a loved one, lean heavily on God’s comfort. Keep trusting Him. But know that it’s okay to feel
sadness for this absence. Consider it one more reason to pour your burdens on your loving heavenly Father.
—Dave Branon

Earth has no sorrow that heaven does not feel.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1

Some people have their influence stamped all over certain things. That was certainly true of Jules Rimet. The Frenchman was key in the creation of the very first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930. For the next 24 years, he remained in charge of the tournament and saw it grow to one of the biggest events in the international calendar. Indeed, the first trophy for the competition was named in honour of him as a lasting testimony to his initiative.

The world we live in holds an even greater testimony than that of the first World Cup trophy. The whole of creation is a confirmation of the power and goodness of our Creator God. We see in Genesis 1 that He made day and night (vv.4-5). He made the seas and sky (vv.6-8), the land beneath our feet and every plant on it (vv.9-13). He made the stars in the sky (vv.14-19), the birds in the air and fish in the sea (vv.20-24), and He made the land animals and you and me (vv.24-30).

God made every last detail of the universe and it only took Him 6 days! Such power, such initiative, and such goodness point us very clearly to the character of the God who made the world. The whole of creation shouts the existence of our great God. Let us do the same. —Jon Lindsay

All nature is an outstretched hand pointing to our creator God.

You must not have any other god but Me. – Exodus 20:3

What do Paris in 1998, Rio de Janeiro in 2002 and Rome in 2006 have in common? Of course, they were all
places of wild celebrations as their national teams lifted the World Cup. Parties lasted long into the night following the Final, and convoys of cars with horns blaring drove around the cities, flags waving in adulation of their team.

In 1998 the President of France conferred one of the country’s highest civilian awards—the Legion of Honour—on the French football team. He said their victory had brought immense happiness and shown that France could be a winning nation. Wherever they went they were feted as heroes.

It is right to appreciate the achievements of our football teams, sportsmen, our family and our nations. Yet, there is a dividing line that we must be careful not to cross. The Bible tells us that God made us to be in relationship with Him and that we should worship Him as our Creator. In Exodus 20:3 God instructed, “You must not have any other god but Me.”

Enthusiasm at a football match and pride in one’s nation are good things. Yet we need to make sure that our worship is given only to God and that we don’t make the mistake of putting other things in His place. —Kevin Gregory

Worship of anything but God is idolatry.

God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8

Disaster struck Italy early in their third game of the 1998 World Cup finals. In the fourth minute, Alessandro Nesta, one of their star defenders, was injured and had to be taken off. Thankfully for Italy, on the bench sat Giuseppe Bergomi. With 18 years of experience, 77 international caps, and one of the finest pedigrees of the Italian squad, the man nicknamed “Il Capitano” was the ideal replacement for Nesta. His wealth of experience and ability made him the right man at the right moment.

The Bible tells us of a substitution which was endlessly more important and timely. Jesus Christ took our place to do something we could never do—save ourselves. When He was nailed to the cross, Jesus was put where we should have been.

At some point, all of us by our words or actions have told God we don’t want Him to be in charge of our lives. That is why the Bible calls us “ungodly”. Jesus didn’t deserve to die because He never sinned. And yet, “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still
sinners” (Romans 5:8).

Jesus is the perfect Substitute. All we need to do is to accept Him as our Saviour. When we do, “we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (v.1). —Jon Lindsay

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the
right time and died for us. —Romans 5:6

No one is righteous—not even one. – Romans 3:10

Unfortunately the 2006 World Cup final is not remembered for stunning goals, committed team work or individual talent. The highlight of that deciding match was Zinedine Zidane head-butting Marco Materazzi in the chest. Playing his last match for his country, Zidane should have had one of his finest moments. Yet in the 110th minute Zidane was red-carded for his actions.

The clash between Zidane and Materazzi mirrors something in our own lives that causes us to hurt ourselves and others. The Bible calls this sin. It’s our natural instinct which says, “Shove off, God, I’m in charge, not You.” We ignore Him completely. God describes this human state when He says, “No one is righteous—not even one” (Romans 3:10).

No one is right before God. We each make ourselves king instead of God, and harm everyone around us. The whole world suffers from this condition.

Zidane’s career was one of the best, but it had a sad conclusion. We don’t need to come to a sad end. God has provided a way for us to come to Him. Sin ruins everything and affects every bit of our lives. As we see the visible displays of its effect, it should cause us to turn to God in genuine repentance and say we are sorry. He forgives! —Chris Wale

God’s law shows us how sinful we are.
Jesus paid the penalty for all our sin.

You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. – 1 Samuel 17:45

One of the more disheartening World Cup statistics belongs to Poland’s Ernst Willimowski. He managed to score four goals against Brazil in the 1938 tournament, yet his team still lost 5-6! Willimowski, even though he excelled himself, could not help Poland beat the giants of football. Poland just wasn’t good enough, no matter what their star did.

The story of David and Goliath could have easily turned out this way! Goliath was a huge man with a huge spear, challenging Israel on behalf of his nation, the Philistines. No matter how hard David trained or how well he performed in the battle, he could never be a match for the giant. The reason that David beat this man-mountain is explained in his exclamation to his fellow Israelites: “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). David recognised that his God was the living God who is active, mighty and able to do all things. In serving God, David knew no one could defeat him.

Like David, and like Willimowski, we might not have the strength to take on this life’s challenges on our own, but we can trust in the living God whom nothing and no one can stand against. —Chris Wale

With God, no situation is impossible!

Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. – 1 Timothy 4:8

The 2002 World Cup was full of surprises and great stories, but none greater than the performance of South Korea. The South Korean team punched way above their weight, defeating some of the giants of international football. Spain, Italy and Portugal all lost to the Tigers of Asia as they clawed their way to the semi-finals. So what was the secret of their success? Training. The team spent more time than any other in training sessions and practice matches. They knew the value of working hard for their goal.

There’s another kind of training we must all be putting our minds to. The apostle Paul writes that “physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). Paul’s words to Timothy show us what’s really worthwhile. To reflect the character of our great God in our own lives, to live for Him with all we have and to shun all temptations to go astray are much more worthwhile than physical training.

The efforts of the South Korean team in 2002 are to be commended, but outside the sporting world their training runs out of uses. Godliness “is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” (v.8). —Jon Lindsay

The payoff for godly living yields eternal benefits.

[God] made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. – Colossians 1:20

In 2008 Turkey played Armenia for the first time. Historically it was incredibly significant. The match was played against a backdrop of tension and conflict between the countries dating back to WWI. Yet it brought the Turkish head of state and the Turkish flag before 35,000 Armenians. It was a match that hopefully symbolised the start of reconciliation between the two opposing countries.

For reconciliation to happen, something must bring the conflicting groups together. It was a football match that brought Turkey and Armenia together. The Bible also speaks about reconciliation—we need to be brought back to God. Thankfully, God has provided the person to do the job—His own Son, Jesus. “God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).

It was God’s choice to send us Jesus as our reconciler! We can have complete assurance that if we come before God, He will receive us. The reconciliation between countries is often only temporary, but reconciliation with God is an eternal certainty when we trust in Jesus. He came to bring us to the Father. Let’s not live on our own anymore. —Chris Wale

God is in the business of reconciliation.

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. – Matthew 6:24

Despite being born in Senegal, Patrick Vieira had citizenship with France as well. So he had to choose which nation to represent in the World Cup. He opted to make his debut for France in 1997 against the Netherlands.

Life throws many situations at us where we are forced to make difficult choices, but there is one choice in particular that is universal. Jesus taught, “No one can serve two masters. . . . You cannot serve both God
and money” (Matthew 6:24). Jesus also said that in order to serve God, we need to deny what we might want and give our lives to Him for His leading instead.

When we serve ourselves, we seek to have control and please ourselves with what this life has to offer. When we serve God, we let Him have control and please Him by living by His direction through the Bible.

You see, these lives are completely different! The nature of serving ourselves and serving God are so opposed to each other that they just can’t fit together in the same life. It would be like Vieira trying to play for Senegal and France in the same World Cup. It’s simply not feasible!

Let’s choose to live for God today. He promises to lead us in a life that pleases Him. —Chris Wale

A person with divided loyalty is as unsettled
as a wave of the sea. —James 1:6