Chasing the Trophy (World cup) 🏆🏃🏾‍♂️

 FIFA's world cup ⚽️! The greatest sporting event on this planet is taking place this year in Qatar. Millions of youths aspire to win it and millions more aspire to play in it. To win the world cup 🏆 is the pinnacle of a soccer/football's player dream. To wear your country's Jersey, to represent them on the biggest sporting event on the planet is a great honor to many. To be included in the folklore of the country's legends, to be a part of history , to be a hero to many others is what many players are fighting for.

In order to reach tournaments like the world cup 🏆, players dedicate their lives to the sport. All they do revolve around the sport. Their diet, their minds, their lifestyles revolved around it, the sport become the one thing they live for.  Countries will only choose the best players to represent them and to be the best requires self sacrifice. Some of the greatest players become cult like figures to many, even gods to many and are worshipped. Some Christians will speak more about their sport idols then they will speak about Jesus. Being at  a world cup for your country brings great rewards in terms of money, fame etc..and if you perform exceptional well, you may become a god to many.

So chasing the world cup trophy is very appealing to many. But out of all the teams chasing the world cup, only one will win. All the others will go back home as losers, some on tears, but only one team will win the the trophy and be filled with joy. The team that wins it all is is jumping up and down, celebrating with their fans, their countrymen, we have won it all, we have reach the pinnacle of world football, we are the greatest. Everyone is praising the players, talking about how great they are, but soon the emptiness of life will return, soon most of the players will be forgotten and you realize all the effort you put in was for a perishable crown 🥇, a joy temporary. 

I read a quote somewhere that says, " the emptiness of sports, you see, is mostly felt in victory". The deception of this world system is this, you believe that if only you can achieve the goals you set for your life you will be happy. So you strive, strive, you fight to overcome the obstacles in your way to win the trophies 🏆 your society promise will give you lasting happiness. For some that trophy is getting a spouse, for others is to make a $100 000 a year, get a PHD, travel around the world etc.. the world offers us many trophies and it tells us of we achieve them we will find peace at last, we will be honored by the world at last but it is a deception

As soon as you reach your goal you realize the hollowness of its promise. Some people realize that and they say you know what, life is not about the end goal, but the journey, they say let's enjoy the journey instead and focus less on the destination because once you reach the destination you will be disappointed. When you win, the pursuit of the goal is removed, there is no one left to defeat, there is no obstacle left to overcome. But when you win, it doesn't change life in anyway, and the feeling of emptiness returns with a vengeance because now the goal you think would have fulfilled you prove to be hallowed. 

There is a saying that says," money won't bring happiness, but everyone wants to find out for themselves. " the same can be said of material possessions, public accolades, fame etc..When we don't possess them, we desire them and faithfully invest all our energy and talent into them, but as soon as we manage to get them we return to being empty and disappointed.
Friends, all these trophies are perishable, chasing the trophies of this world will only give you temporary happiness because they are perishable crowns. There is only one trophy worth chasing, there is only one crown worth chasing, the crown of eternal life

Jesus is offering the true World cup 🏆, a cup all of us can win. There need to be no losers in this world cup for Christ has already won it for us. But friends, to win in this cup, you must give your all, you must make Jesus your number 1 priority, you must allow Him to fill your heart, you allow your life to revolve around Him and you must seek to do all in your power to win others to Him. Those who overcome in this world cup 🏆, the world cup of life,  Jesus will grant to sit with Him on His throne and will wear an eternal crown of victory

The true world cup has only two teams, Team Jesus vs Team Satan. Friends, let us join team Jesus, let us play in such a way as to take the prize of life, let train ourselves in the way of holiness, practicing the scriptures and spending time with God daily. Those who chase the crowns of this world do it for a perishable crown,  we who partake of Jesus' team do it for a crown that is imperishable. Therefore friends, let not allow ourselves to be deceived and put all our energies in chasing the false and deceptive trophies of this world 🏆🥇, but let us put all our energy in chasing the one trophy that truly matter, eternal life with Jesus Christ 🙏🏾

1 Corinthians 9:25

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

https://sports.yahoo.com/messi-is-our-god-lionel-messi-inspires-a-worldwide-pilgrimage-to-qatar-world-cup-121801128.html