Tiger Woods in 2018 (Photo Courtesy: Keith Allison/Flickr)
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” — Philippians 4:8
What are we talking about?
I love talking about sports. This is the perfect time of the year for it! The MLB playoffs have started and there was even an extra game this year, college football has great matchups, Tiger Woods won again, and the NBA is right around the corner. Who doesn’t want to talk about the pennant chase or if Tiger is really back? I feel like I could talk about this stuff all day long.
Listening to a podcast this week, I was struck with how easy it is to hide Jesus from our daily conversations. This then sparks the question of why. Are we too nervous? Do we feel like we don’t know enough? Does the world please us more than Jesus does?
There is nothing wrong with enjoying the things of the world. But nothing takes precedence over the joy of the Lord. It is not sex or drugs but everyday successes that steal it. Things like job promotions, having a nice car or a great relationship.
C.S. Lewis explains this struggle:
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
So, as we enjoy another day, let’s make sure we focus on eternal things. Hopefully that can spark a conversation to plant a seed.
— Reid Carper
If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com.
TreVeyon Henderson in February 2026 at Super Bowl LX. (Adam Hunger/AP Content Services for NFL)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING TREVEYON HENDERSON
TreVeyon Henderson is a running back with the New England Patriots. He was a second-round draft pick in 2025 and in his rookie season helped New England to an AFC championship and a trip to Super Bowl LX. In college at Ohio State, he led the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2024.
Today on the podcast, TreVeyon joins Matt Forte to talk about his rookie season in the NFL, being bold for Jesus, proclaiming his faith at the Super Bowl, and the importance of keeping Christ at the center of his marriage.
Boston Bruins right wing Shawn Thornton is held back by officials, March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” — Romans 12:19
On Dec. 7, 2013, an NHL matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins turned exceedingly violent. Just seconds into the game, Penguins defender Brooks Orpik leveled Bruins forward Loui Eriksson with a crushing blow, a legal hit but one which many Bruins deemed to be high. The hit resulted in a concussion for Eriksson, and play was chippy for the next few minutes of game action.
During one of the dust-ups, Bruins “enforcer” Shawn Thornton skated up behind Orpik, pulled him to the ground, and delivered two clean punches to his head. Orpik was stretchered off the ice and was later diagnosed with a concussion. Meanwhile, Thornton was ejected for his retaliatory act and subsequently suspended 15 games.
As human beings, we have a built-in sense of justice. One of the many implications of this is that when we see a wrong committed, we feel deep in our souls the need for the wrong to be made right. Often, we respond to that need by sinfully seeking revenge ourselves. Thornton sure did, and it cost him 15 games and $84,615.45.
God doesn’t deny that justice must be done; in fact, we have a built-in sense of justice precisely because we were made in the image of a perfectly just God. But, God does tell us in His Word that we must not be the ones to execute that justice. He’ll take care of that.
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” — Romans 12:19
We can rest easy, knowing that — one day — God will make right every wrong. We don’t have to “get them back.” Every time someone disparages you or cuts you off in traffic, every harsh word or dirty glance, all these injustices will be atoned for. Either the perpetrators receive justice for their sins in hell, or Jesus paid the penalty for their sins on the cross.
So, what are we supposed to do instead of taking revenge?
Well, we trust. We trust that God is who He said He is, that He’ll do all He said He’d do. When we look around at a world wracked with sin on the other side of the globe and right here in our hearts, we trust that He sees it all, and that He’s doing something about it.
So the next time you feel slighted, however big or small, take a deep breath and trust that God will enact justice. He’ll take care of it. Remember, “It is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”
Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, Dec. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
“In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works. … Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?” — James 2:17-18, 20 (CSB)
When asked about being shy or disliking the media, former All-Pro running back Marshawn Lynch once famously said, “I’m just ’bout that action, boss.” His response was one of confidence and assurance in who he was and what he was about.
Faith is also “’bout that action!” It is an action word. It is alive. It is visible.
In our spiritual journey, leading a family, career or academic pursuits, or anything we do, we must have a foundation of faith in order to succeed. Hebrews 11:1 (CSB) defines faith this way: “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” The dictionary calls faith “complete trust, confidence, or belief in something, often without absolute proof, covering both religious devotion and personal conviction.”
With both definitions, it wouldn’t make sense to plan, prepare, study, practice, travel and do all the other things we do if we didn’t believe we could [fill in the blank]. Likewise, it wouldn’t make sense to “have faith” and never plan, prepare, study, practice, travel and do whatever else needs to be done. As a sports official, player, coach, media member or however we serve, we must have faith and work our faith.
Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV). Faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17, NKJV). Never forget the source of your faith. Also remember that faith is made alive when we work it (physical or mental effort exerted to achieve a purpose, produce something, or complete a task).
San Diego Padres player Gavin Sheets rounds the bases after hitting a home run, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
San Diego Padres slugger Gavin Sheets made Major League Baseball history last week when he became the first player to hit three go-ahead, three-run, ninth-inning home runs in the same season. What’s more, he accomplished the feat before the middle of May.
He continued his hot start to the season by following it up with three home runs over the weekend against the Seattle Mariners, including two in Sunday’s game.
“It’s a cool honor. You think of all the players in the National League, and to win that for a week is pretty exciting,” Sheets told MLB Network. “But, more importantly, we played really good baseball and had two really good series on the road.”
Since arriving in San Diego before last season on a minor-league deal, Sheets has provided much-needed spark and versatility to a Padres lineup looking to keep pace with the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. He made the opening-day roster last year and responded with the best season of his career: a .252 batting average, 19 home runs and 71 RBIs — all career highs. The Padres reached the postseason, but lost to the Chicago Cubs in the wild-card round.
Sheets has picked up where he left off, batting .254 this year with nine home runs and 21 RBIs in 44 games played, and he’s a key reason the Padres are sitting just a half-game behind the Dodgers in the NL West standings. He’s also considered one of the leaders in the clubhouse despite being in only his second full season with the club.
“I think it’s something that’s organically happened,” he told MLB Network. “Last year I came in and built relationships with the guys around here. It’s such a great clubhouse and such a great culture. Everybody just wants to win. I think there’s a respect factor when you go about things the right way and put in the work.”
There was a time earlier in his career when he would’ve let those numbers and that success define him. That mindset crumbled and his perspective shifted entirely during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020.
Sheets was drafted in the second round by the Chicago White Sox in 2017 out of Wake Forest and quickly began ascending the minor league system. He put together his best pro season in Double-A in 2019 and earned an invitation to major league spring training in 2020. Then the pandemic brought everything to an abrupt halt.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is OK. This isn’t the path I had. This isn’t the way my plan was going, but that’s OK. Baseball is going to come back and we’ll be fine,'” he said in a Sports Spectrum “I Once Was” video.
Later that June, baseball did resume — though in an abbreviated, 60-game season without fans. The minor league season was canceled, but some players were asked to report to what was essentially extended spring training to play intrasquad games against teammates. But not everyone would be participating. Some players in the organization would stay home without structured baseball activity for the time being.
A bunch of guys started getting calls about when to show up to the facility and getting relayed logistics about the season and their assignment. Sheets’ phone never rang.
“I had made baseball this idol in my life,” he said in the video. “All of my plans in all my mind, my relationships, everything was in this idol that I’d created, and I didn’t know what to do. It was a mix of emotions — anger and questioning. It was the first time that I’d really searched for God, in that moment.”
It was also the first time he realized baseball would go on whether he was a part of it or not. That was a hard pill to swallow.
“So, this thing that I had put my identity in, I’m sitting at home watching it go on. I’m watching these guys play and I’m not a part of it, and it’s not slowing down,” he said while speaking at a chapel event last month for Christian Unified Schools of San Diego. “I realized I’m putting my identity in something that doesn’t care for me.”
He soon thereafter received a text message from his college coach, Tom Walter, whom he hadn’t spoken to in about a year. The message included a story about a pastor and a farmer that was meant to provide comfort and remind Sheets to trust in God when things happen that we don’t understand.
The text also read: “You’ve always risen to the occasion. This will be no exception. Hang in there. Love you, brother.” Reading it made him break down in tears.
“I just thank God,” he said. “I just felt His presence for the first time where I needed Him the most, where I called out to Him. It was the first time where I felt myself giving my whole path to God, giving my whole future to God, giving my whole life to God and just saying, ‘I can’t do this on my own.'”
Later that summer, while visiting his grandparents, his grandfather fell and broke his leg. Because baseball had been put on pause, Sheets was able to stay home for several weeks and help care for him alongside his grandmother. Then his aunt — whom he described as being like a second mother to him — became ill and passed away later that same summer. He was there with her when she took her final breath.
“Being there and being with my family and realizing that God had greater plans than I could’ve ever imagined,” he said in the video. “The plans that I had for myself were not even half of what God had planned for me.”
That season made him realize he wasn’t using baseball or his platform to glorify God, and that needed to change. Sheets continued training on his own, and used the time to learn how to play outfield in an effort to make himself more valuable to a roster. He made his major-league debut the following year — at a position he had never played before, which he learned while being at home during the pandemic.
“Now I’m here to share my journey and how it all took a turn for a path that was even greater than I expected,” he said.
