Early in the fourth quarter of the ill-fated Cowboys game today, a TV commentator referred to an earlier quote from one of the Cowboys — that if they did not make the playoffs, it “all was for naught.”

All strategies.
Recruiting.
Previous wins.
Previous losses.
Playing while injured.
Super-dollar spending on superstar players.
Comeback games.
Intrasquad squabbles.
Late nights studying the competition.
Standing strong against media criticism.
Everything that dominated and consumed the lives and thinking of so many fans, players, coaches, and owners 24/7.
All the all.

It was all for nothing. The whole season was about the final result.

Life’s the same way.

My life may be full of nonstop activity, frenzied positioning, tense conflicts, thrilling victories, crushing defeats, mountain tops, and valleys. But what counts is the end of the season — when the final commissioner looks at our records and compares it to… His perfect record. (Nobody else’s record counts.)

My record doesn’t measure up. My final outcome is for naught, except for one thing. God erased my record and replaced it with His. The righteousness of Christ replaced my total disregard for righteousness.

I’m not even like the Cowboys. I’m worse. I’m like the Detroit Lions, who became the first NFL team to ever go 0-16 for a season. We’re all Detroit Lions, without Christ.