Paulo Sergio Silvestre do Nascimento

A NEVER-ENDING VICTORY

The highest point in my career as a soccer pro was to have been invited to play for the Brazilian National squad which became world champions for the fourth time in the United States 1994 Cup. I had my only chance to play against Cameroon for a few minutes. I kicked the ball as best I could and in the right direction. But Joseph-Antoine Bell managed to defend that kick just in time.

Before the Cup began, many commentators and soccer experts everywhere considered the Brazilian squad as the favorite to win the world title. But we had been pursuing that title for the past 24 years and it always eluded us. We knew we could not live an illusion or a dream. Each game would be important. Every game looked like a battle on the way. All participating teams desired to win the title but only five or six had any chance of succeeding in the end. Only one squad would make it in the end and I strongly desired that we would be the ones to get there.

We managed to bring that world cup home. It was moving to kiss the Cup and to run around the soccer field and weave to the crowds, receive the golden medal, get off that plane and parade through the streets of Recife, Brasilia, and Rio as the crowds were delirious about us.

But the truth is that the time will come when this victory will be only in the history books, in some forgotten bookshelf catching the dust of time. Future generations will not even remember the names of the players that played for Brazil in the 1994 World Cup. All that glory will fall into oblivion.

That's the reason why I believe that we cannot trust in the glitter of victories and trophies to be happy. It is good to be a winner for sure. Achieving something in life is a good thing. But these things are temporary. The joy we experience soon fades away.

As I thought about this, I found out that the Bible speaks about a victory that never ends. It is the victory of Jesus Christ over sin. Sin is a terrible thing. It deforms our character and it also keeps us separated from God. It even leads us to death. Sin is a source of disappointment, guilt, despair, and depression.

That's when the greatest victory of all time comes in. That is, Jesus' victory on the cross of Calvary. HE, who was just and sinless, died as an offering to God to pay the price for our sins. "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1.9). That's right - it is Jesus, and no one else - who alone can do that for us.

When we acknowledge that we are sinner and repent, God comes to us with forgiveness. The consequence of this is peace. "My peace I give you." That's Jesus own word.

This victory and this peace are forever. When everything that rules this world passes away, God will still remain. This promise changed my life.

I am a joyful man today. Not just because I won the World Cup in the United States in 1994. Above all, I have joy because of what Jesus is doing in my life.

Paulo Sergio

If you want to experience the eternal victory that Christ has promised, read John 10.10-11, 27-29.

If you would like to know more about Jesus and what He can do for you, just click the button on the left side of your screen to change your life.