“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 11:11-12 NIV)

October is such a magical time for baseball. Reggie Jackson. Derek Jeter. Kirk Gibson’s limp. Curt Schilling’s bloody sock. Even if you are a casual baseball fan, it is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the playoffs.

Conversely, there are times when it can be difficult to follow baseball…even for serious fans. Spring training does a good job of creating buzz for the season, but the play is always sub-par. It can be tough to focus on an interleague series in mid-June when your team is already 15 games out. And it is hard to get excited about 40 man rosters when your top 5 players are on the DL.

I find myself doing the same things with my faith. There are times when I feel so close to God. I am eager to find more quiet time, I end up completely submitted during worship, and I want to share the gospel with everyone that I see.

But there are also days I get busy, distracted, or honestly just apathetic. It’s a struggle to complete my daily reading, I do not pray as often as I should, and I feel like God is so far away that he cannot hear me. It is on those days that I am more likely to give into temptation, to spew hateful language, and to be impatient with those around me.

It is a challenge for all of us. But whether we are on a hill or in a valley, we must do our best to seek and soak in God’s presence. It may not always be exciting to spend ten minutes listening to God in prayer, but if we make the conscious choice to skip it because we just “aren’t feeling it,” we are missing out on an opportunity to experience the only One who can bring that excitement back. God is there, and He is reaching out to us at all times, but we also have the obligation to reach back even when He seems so far away.

– Jamie Boggs

 If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com