“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the Heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.” — Hebrews 3:1
Jesus is Greater
The writer of Hebrews aims to make sure we know that Jesus is greater than everything else. The question should be asked daily: “Is Jesus greater than everything in your life?” The Hebrews struggled on whether Jesus was greater than angels, prophets, Moses and even sacrifices. Those questions may not resonate with you, but what rivals Jesus in your life?
There’s no better time to ask yourself this question than right now. This is a prime time of the year for sports to rival our relationship with Jesus. It’s easy to get lost in the highs and lows of our favorite teams as they start a fresh season or compete for a playoff spot. Are your emotions moved by God’s blessings in the same way as when your team scores that go-ahead touchdown? Are you as frustrated with sin as that bad play call or strikeout? What rules your thoughts during the day? These momentary reflections are sure to illuminate our need for God’s never-ending grace.
Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said recently, “Probably the greatest accomplishment that I have had to this point is to see my three sons come to know Christ and to know him as their Lord and Savior.” This is coming from a man who has won a national championship as a coach and player. His words prove to us what is ultimately important in this lifetime.
This time of year brings Christ-followers an extraordinary opportunity to connect and disciple others using sports as a vessel. Sports provide a commonality with others who may not have felt the love of Jesus in their lives. Let’s use this time to glorify God and make disciples. Let us not forget the One who sustains our lives and never changes!
— Ryan Noelte
If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com.
Tebow and his wife, Demi-Leigh, joyfully announced in an Instagram post that they welcomed their first child, Daphne Reign Tebow, into the world on Sunday.
In a follow-up post revealing their daughter’s name, Demi-Leigh shared the importance of the names Daphne and Reign. Daphne was her great aunt’s name, a woman who served as a grandmother figure to Demi-Leigh growing up. Meanwhile, Reign has spiritual significance.
“[Reign is] inspired by a precious little girl Tim and I have loved deeply for years,” she wrote. “Her story has shaped our hearts in ways I can’t even begin to explain. But more than anything, her name reminds us that when you’re adopted into God’s family, you become a child of the King. You were made to rule and reign — not in power, but in purpose, love, and identity.
“So here she is — our daughter. Our answered prayer. Daphne Reign Tebow — created in the image of God. Royalty as His princess. Our biggest prayer over her is to reign in God’s purpose for her life.”
“If [the term ‘son of God’ is] used throughout history as a term for kings and for monarchs, then it is a term for royalty,” Tebow explained in a clip of one of the many sermons he’s delivered, which he posted on X on Wednesday. “What if our God loves you so much that when He says you were made in His image, He’s saying, ‘I love you so much that I see you as royalty.’?”
For most of history, the phrase “made in the image of” was reserved for kings and monarchs. But in Genesis, God gives that title to all of us. Think about that…
The God of the universe looks at you and says: “I see you with royal worth.” Not because of what you’ve done, but… pic.twitter.com/gqmeCtD4uM
“I used to think being made in God’s image was just a label we wore. But it’s so much more than that,” Tebow wrote in another post. “You are His image, part of His design, part of His story. That truth changes everything. Your worth isn’t something you wear. It’s who you are.”
Tebow first rose to prominence as a college football player at Florida from 2006-2009, becoming a media sensation for frequently sharing publicly about his faith in Christ. With the Gators, he won two national championships (2006, 08) and the 2007 Heisman Trophy. The Denver Broncos drafted him No. 25 overall in 2010, and he spent two seasons with the franchise. Primarily a backup as a rookie, Tebow became the team’s starter in 2011. He helped turn that season around as the Broncos advanced to the postseason and won a playoff game. He was traded to the Jets that offseason and was released after a year in New York.
In 2016, Tebow announced that he would pursue a career as a professional baseball player. Despite not playing organized baseball since his junior year of high school, Tebow impressed scouts enough that the New York Mets signed him to a minor-league deal. He played in the Mets’ minor-league system before formally announcing his retirement from baseball in February 2021.
When his former college football coach, Urban Meyer, was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2021 season, Tebow signed a one-year contract with the team. His brief attempt to return to the NFL as a tight end came to a close when he was released in the preseason.
Tebow’s days tossing touchdowns and hammering home runs may have passed, but his days changing diapers and singing lullabies have just begun. He’s proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ with millions watching around the world, and he’s trusted his Heavenly Father to equip him with the words to speak at those times. Now as a father — a role he’s never had before — he will trust his Heavenly Father to guide him, just as He’s always done.
Life often brings unexpected changes. Sometimes God closes a door — you didn’t make the team, a job ends, a relationship shifts, or a dream seems to fade. It’s easy to feel discouraged or confused in those moments. But Revelation 3:8 (above) reminds us that God is in control of every door. When He closes one, it’s never by accident. It’s often a step toward something greater — a door only He can open.
Think of the story of Joseph in the Bible. Betrayed by his brothers, sold as a slave, and thrown into prison. But every closed door moved him closer to God’s plan to save many lives. What others meant for harm, God used for good (Genesis 50:20).
Closed doors are not dead ends; they’re divine redirections. So when one shuts, don’t panic — pray. Trust that God is preparing a new door, and when it opens, no one can close it.
Is there a door that recently closed in your life? How might God be using it to lead you somewhere new?
Prayer: Lord, thank You for being the God who opens and closes doors. Help me trust You when things don’t go as planned. Give me peace in the waiting and courage to walk through the new doors You open. Amen.
College football team meeting. (AP Photo/Todd J. Van Emst)
“You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” — Romans 14:10
A member of the church I pastor is one of the assistant coaches for Drake University’s football team. During the season, it’s a challenge for him to attend our Sunday morning worship services because of the rhythm of Division I college football. During the season, Sundays aren’t his day off, Mondays are.
On Sundays, the entire team will sit in the meeting room and the coaches will share highlights and lowlights from Saturday’s game. After that, players will split up by position and go over game film. The NFL follows a similar pattern of watching film the day after a game. When the game film is on, there is no hiding — all of your missed tackles and assignments are exposed.
One day, every Christian will stand before Jesus Christ to have their works evaluated. We will be judged and receive “what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Our motives will also be revealed (1 Corinthians 4:5). Jesus will show us the game film of our lives and expose everything we’ve done since we became a Christian. And we will be rewarded accordingly. We may even lose rewards. This isn’t a matter of going to Heaven or hell — a salvation issue — but a rewards issue.
So today, live with the awareness that, just like that football player on the field, you will be held accountable by Jesus for the choices you make.
Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson teaches kids about the Bible at a youth football camp (Photo courtesy X/@accessthewalk).
Former Ohio State Buckeyes TreVeyon Henderson and Gee Scott Jr. are looking forward to their first NFL training camp with the New England Patriots later this month, where they will prepare to make an immediate impact on the field this fall. Yet they haven’t waited until September to make an impact in the Massachusetts community they now call home, or in the Ohio community that molded them into who they are.
Both players provided spiritual leadership for the Buckeyes’ faith-fueled national championship team and have continued to find ample opportunities to share their faith in Christ since joining the Patriots.
Scott — a tight end who signed with New England as an undrafted free agent — and three of his Patriots teammates joined community members and police officers at a Faith Night hosted by Bethel AME Church in Boston on May 30. Three weeks later, Scott and Henderson (a running back and the No. 38 overall pick) were both guest speakers at a “Revival” worship night organized by the Duxbury High School Bible Club, about an hour southeast of Boston. The players closed the night by delivering powerful testimonies of faith in Christ to a crowd of more than 400.
Their community outreach has extended outside the Boston area as well. The week after the Duxbury event, Henderson was at Storyside Church in Bellville, Ohio, where he reportedly declined an appearance fee. His reason? “My salvation is free and so am I.”
Prior to his final season at Ohio State last August, Henderson was a guest on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. He shared in the episode how he came to faith in college and why he choose to return for one more year rather than enter the 2024 NFL Draft.
“When I met Jesus, He filled me with the love that I’d been looking for in football and money and my family and women,” the three-time All-Big Ten selection said on the podcast. “He gave me the joy that I’d been searching for. … He filled me with happiness that I was looking for. What my heart was craving, what me heart needed — Jesus, He filled me with it. He gave it to me.”
Meanwhile, Scott joined the “What’s Up” podcast, part of the Sports Spectrum Podcast Network, in December. He discussed the ways his faith helps him handle the pressure and expectations that come with being a high-level athlete.
“I have a faith that all of these things that I’m going through are working together to refine me and make me a better version of myself,” he said on the podcast. “Having faith through that gives me freeing peace while I play that I’m not here to perform for man or for fans.”
The two friends and teammates reunited once again on Thursday to host a youth football camp in Mansfield, Ohio, in partnership with The Walk Foundation, an organization focused on spiritual outreach through sports.
Smiles & Bibles ✝️
Former Ohio State and New England Patriots rookies TreVeyon Henderson & Gee Scott Jr. held a youth football camp for the kids of Mansfield, Ohio. pic.twitter.com/FEQUbQgw7f
Both Henderson and Scott are also extremely active in sharing their faith on social media. Henderson declares that “Jesus saved my life” on both his Instagram and X accounts, while Scott describes himself as a “follower of Christ” on X and writes that, “I know who I am because I know Whose I am” on Instagram.
Henderson included a Bible verse from Acts in his Instagram post celebrating his selection by the Patriots.
While Scott was training, traveling around proclaiming the Gospel, and settling into life as a Patriot, he was also in the midst of planning another significant life event. Over the Fourth of July weekend, he proposed to his girlfriend, Olivia. Scott gave glory to God and cited Matthew 19:6 in his Instagram post celebrating the engagement.
As he gets ready to compete for a spot on New England’s roster, Scott will continue to draw strength from the Lord.
“I just believe if I have God with me, that is my strength,” he said on the “What’s Up” podcast. “I’m usually not the one that’s doing a whole bunch of pumping up because I just know the strength that God gives me is enough.”
Henderson’s place on the team may be more secure as New England’s second-round pick, and he knows he is playing for God’s glory and wants to utilize his platform as much as possible.
“I’m just going to continue to let Him guide me and work through me for His glory,” Henderson said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “I want to continue to decrease. When people see me, I want them to see the Lord. I want them to see His power to save, to transform. I just want to let His light shine through me.”
The Patriots begin training camp on July 23. New England’s first preseason game is against the Washington Commanders on Aug. 8, and it hosts the Las Vegas Raiders in its regular season opener on Sept. 7.
