![\"20140619_worldcup2\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.blueletterbible.org\/blb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/06\/20140619_worldcup2.jpg\")
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I vividly remember watching the 1986 World Cup finals in my grandmother\u2019s little apartment on a warm June afternoon. The Championship game\u2014Argentina versus West Germany\u2014was held at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City in front of 114,600 screaming fans with Argentina returning home as the victors. As a soccer-crazed little 8-year-old living in America, it was a very special treat to watch my favorite sport on that little tube television set. Some of our readers may still remember this World Cup. Although, those from England would rather forget it as Argentinian Diego Maradona cheatingly put England out of the Cup<\/em> with the infamous \u201cHand of God\u201d goal<\/a>\u2014a goal that was anything but divinely inspired.<\/p>\n The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, represented by 32 countries whose national teams have undergone a grueling qualification process en route to obtaining the coveted World Cup trophy. For most countries in the world, the Cup is much more than a game. It is a matter of pride and identity. A loss and dismissal from the Cup could and does put a whole country into a \u201cNational Day of Mourning.\u201d A championship trophy feeds the opposite: a rush of elation that fades with every passing hour.<\/p>\n As we approach the World Cup this year, it is a good reminder to consider the object of our worship. I have witnessed the sport of soccer used for God\u2019s glory, as both a player and a fan. More often, though, I have seen it used for prideful gain, selfish ambition, and temporal pleasure. I must confess that these opposing intentions have surfaced in my very own heart.<\/p>\n In 1 John 2:15-16<\/a>, we read,<\/p>\n do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world\u2014the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life–is not from the Father but is from the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The cheers, the singing, the whistling (means \u201cboos\u201d in America), the TV cameras, the world-class players, the pressure, and of course, the last minute winning goals, ignite a passion for the game that drives millions of people to an almost, if not full blown, worship of the \u201csoccer god.\u201d And with the referee\u2019s blow of the final whistle, it all ends. Emptiness ensues.<\/p>\n The temptation to love and worship the things of this world is all around us. Perhaps, the World Cup is a stark reminder of this reality. We, however, are to set our hearts fully on God as the supreme object of our worship. God alone is worthy of our worship. He is a jealous God, and rightfully so. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to become a man, to take on the wrath that we justly deserved, and to grant us the righteousness that only He could give (2 Corinthians 5:21<\/a>). As a result, we have “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God\u2019s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:4-5<\/a>).<\/p>\nThe World Loves the World Cup<\/h2>\n
God Alone Is Worthy of Worldwide Worship<\/h2>\n
The Glorious Feast of the Gospel<\/h2>\n