“‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” — Matthew 14:29
>> Sign up here for Sports Spectrum devotionals sent right to your email inbox <<
After the Oklahoma softball team won back-to-back Women’s College World Series titles, the team chanted on the field, “Get out of the boat!” Later in a press conference, players explained the chant was referring to Matthew 14:29-30, when Jesus called Peter to get out of the boat and walk on water toward Him. Peter did, but the minute he started to look elsewhere, paying attention to the storm, he sank.
The Oklahoma softball team has kept its focus on Jesus even while winning national titles, setting an example on the biggest stage in sports for all believers. It’s not about what the world says, it’s about keeping our focus on Jesus and walking toward Him.
Often times, like Peter, we get distracted. We start to fall because we are paying attention to what the world says and not what Jesus has called us to do. As Christians, we are underdogs in the world. We are doing things differently and against what culture says, because Jesus has called us to be different. It’s easy to take our focus off Jesus in a world with so many distractions and troubling times. But the minute we take our focus off Christ and start to give our attention to what the world says we’re doing wrong, we will fall just like Peter did.
The minute you turn away from Jesus and allow the storm to take your focus, you will sink. Keep your focus on Jesus through the storms of life, standing firm in your faith while getting out of the boat.
— Madison Thacker
If you would like to submit a devotional, please email all submissions to
devotionals@sportsspectrum.com.
