Mookie Betts (left) in 2017 (Photo Courtesy: Keith Allison/Flickr)
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” — Galatians 5:13
Mindset of a Servant
After going 3-for-4 and scoring a run in Game 2 of the World Series, Red Sox outfielder and 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts could have gone to bed and rested up for Game 3. Instead, he and his cousin delivered hot meals to the homeless outside the Boston Public Library.
The gesture itself is incredible, but there’s more to the story. Betts’ actions were only publicized because former Red Sox player and current radio host Lou Merloni found out and tweeted about it. Without Merloni’s announcement, we probably would have never known what Betts and his cousin did.
In everything we do, we should have a mindset of service. We are called to be like Christ, who made Himself nothing and took on the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:7). When we are doing this successfully, our decisions are driven by how we can honor God in loving others, not how it might help us personally. Of course, giving of ourselves can also provide benefits to us, such as the joy that comes from serving.
The two aren’t mutually exclusive, but the motivation for our actions should come from wanting to spread God’s love. What impressed me most about what Mookie Betts did was the lack of publicity. He didn’t bring any attention to it at all, making it clear his priority was the people he was serving.
Our thought process should be the same, whether the entire world is watching or no one will ever know what we did. The mindset of a servant does not change based on the context of the situation.
— Joshua Doering
If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com.
Georgia Tech pitcher Tate McKee, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Tate McKee has become a key piece of one of the best teams in college baseball this season, the ace of a staff with sights set on its first national championship.
The Georgia Tech right-hander is 6-0 with a 3.50 ERA through nine starts, leading the team with 43.2 innings pitched and 45 strikeouts. He’s made 25 consecutive series-opening starts, and the Yellow Jackets are 21-4 (.840) in those games. They have won each of the last 12 series begun by him, including a program-record nine series wins to start this season.
His consistency has helped power Georgia Tech to a 31-5 record and No. 2 national ranking, after a sweep of No. 5 Florida State this past weekend and a mid-week win over Georgia Southern on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets have tied the best 36-game start to a season in program history, and are on a 13-game winning streak, their longest since 2011 and the second longest active streak in Division I, behind only No. 1 UCLA.
Seven of Georgia Tech’s wins during the streak have come against top-15 opponents (No. 14 NC State, No. 11 Auburn, No. 5 Florida State). The Yellow Jackets take that momentum into a pivotal ACC road series this weekend at No. 3 North Carolina. McKee will take the mound for the Friday-night opener.
Georgia Tech finished last season as the ACC regular-season champions and advanced to the 64-team NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years, but the program hasn’t reached the College World Series (the final eight teams of the tournament) since 2006. McKee and company are hoping to change that.
While McKee’s performance has been steady on the mound, his growth off the field has been a major part of his development. Speaking on the heels of the 2025 season, he said on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up?” podcast that he’s seen a noticeable shift in the team’s spiritual culture, particularly through Bible studies and consistent connection among players.
“This year to last year we had a big growth in our team with Bible studies and more people coming in,” he said. “It’s a true blessing. We get to see how many guys were getting together with Christ. Then, building that relationship with that small group chat that we had … just to build a small relationship through that was great.”
That environment has helped shape how he approaches the game on a daily basis.
“Baseball itself, I feel like every day you see little bits of Christ through even a practice game, stuff like that,” he said.
WHAT'S UP Tate McKee!
On Monday, you can listen to our full conversation with the @gtbaseball pitcher. @TateMckee1 shares about this past baseball season, what he's all about right now, leading at FCA, and more! Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/Q9jaTOd0gA
McKee’s growth on the mound mirrors his development over the past two seasons. As a freshman in 2024, he struck out 61 batters in 47 innings but finished with a 7.28 ERA while adjusting to the college level. By 2025, he had taken over as the team’s Friday night starter, opening all 16 series and helping lead Georgia Tech through the postseason with a 2.03 ERA in ACC and NCAA Tournament play.
This season, he’s taken another step forward, becoming one of the most reliable arms on one of the top teams in the country.
As he’s grown as a player, McKee has also been intentional about his own spiritual habits.
“I set a bunch of different goals for 2025 — different ways that I could connect with the Lord and build my relationship,” he said on the podcast. “I would say this year has been just such a blessing with being a part of the FCA leadership team, this reading plan I’m doing every day, journaling about Christ every day, it’s been awesome.”
Those routines have stayed consistent regardless of how he’s performed.
“Even when I was struggling down in those times [last] season, I was keeping consistent with what I was doing every day,” he said on the podcast.
That faith is something he carries with him onto the field as well. Through Georgia Tech’s partnership with 44 Gloves, McKee designed a custom black alligator-skin glove that features a teal and mint green cross along with Philippians 4:13.
“That’s probably one of my favorite gloves I’ve ever gotten,” he said. “To be out there pitching with Him on my glove, it’s very meaningful.”
His faith is also reinforced through relationships within the program, including with head coach James Ramsey and teammates. McKee is part of a group chat where he, Ramsey and other coaches send a Bible verse to each other every day.
“That’s just kind of how our relationship is,” McKee said. “Just knowing the guy running the show has a relationship, like me, with Christ, that means so much.”
UConn was down by 19 to Duke. Then, all of a sudden, the Huskies were headed back to the Final Four.
The furious comeback culminated with freshman Braylon Mullins hitting a near half-court 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to give No. 2 seed UConn a 73-72 lead and a stunning Elite Eight win over No. 1 seed Duke. For more than half the game, Duke appeared ready to cruise into the Final Four. But UConn kept slowly chipping away, eventually cutting the lead to one point in the final minute.
With 10 seconds left to play, all Duke really had to do was hold the ball and head to the free-throw line. But as the Huskies applied full-court pressure, they deflected a pass and the ball ended up in the hands of Mullins with about 2.5 seconds left. He had to shoot it. Nothing but net.
It goes down as one of the most epic March Madness moments we’ve seen in recent memory, and it all came after a massive comeback by UConn. The Huskies could’ve relented and given up, but instead, they kept chipping away. As they say, it’s never over until it’s over, even down to the last second.
In life, when trials, failures and disappointments add up, we’re tempted to think the deficit is too big to overcome. We go through seasons where it feels like the outcome is already decided. We just feel defeated.
But that’s not the story the Gospel tells us.
The story of Jesus is the ultimate comeback story, at least in the sense of redefining what we thought was final. The cross looked like the end, and everything about that moment appeared to say it was over. My church occasionally sings the song “Name Above All Names” by Charity Gayle, and part of the lyrics go like this:
The sun was darkened and the Heavens thundered And for a moment death had thought it conquered But it wasn’t over ’til You said, “It’s over” Your Word is greater still
That’s because three days after Jesus went into the grave, He proved it wasn’t over.
What these come-from-behind, last-second wins remind us is that as long as there’s still time on the clock, the story isn’t finished. We see that with the man on the cross next to Jesus who secured his place in Heaven in his final breaths. God is always at work, and He’s always available, even if it feels otherwise.
Philippians 1:6 tells us that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Life will deal you some big deficits occasionally, and at times things will feel like they’re “over.” But with Jesus, that’s far from the truth.
“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.” — Titus 1:1 (ESV)
I used to identify everything wrong with me and then work like crazy to fix it. Not disciplined enough? I’d create a harder training schedule. Losing my temper too much? I’d white-knuckle my way through games, trying to control my emotions. Not confident enough? I’d repeat affirmations and try to psych myself up.
And you know what? Sometimes it worked. For a little while. But it was exhausting, because self-improvement is a treadmill that never stops. There’s always something else to fix, another area to improve, another weakness to address. I was trying to transform myself through effort, and it was crushing me.
Look at what Paul says in Titus 1:1 (above). He introduces himself as “a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.”
Notice the order: Knowledge of truth leads to Godliness, not the other way around. Paul isn’t saying, “Work really hard to be Godly and then you’ll know the truth.” He’s saying, “Know the truth, and Godliness will follow.”
Are you trying to change yourself through effort? Or are you abiding in the One who transforms? Are you grinding alone, trying to fix everything that’s wrong with you? Or are you staying close to Jesus, letting His presence shape you?
One way leads to exhaustion. The other leads to life. You don’t have to try so hard. You just have to stay close. Choose His presence over your performance. His pace over your grind.
Manny Machado is a third baseman for the San Diego Padres. He is one of many baseball players who have opted to have Lasik eye surgery to improve vision. He noticed he was struggling to see during night games and hoped for improvement. Many players who have this kind of procedure note better vision and an increased ability to recognize the difference between fastballs and off-speed pitches.
Good eyesight is essential not only for athletes, but nearly everyone. Poor eyesight can be a hinderance to whatever role we find ourselves in.
In our walk of faith, if we didn’t have Jesus, we’d be stumbling along without hope or direction like a blind man. In John 9, we read a story about a man who was well known in the community as being blind from birth and would beg for money. As we read this story, we can put ourselves in his shoes and think about how bad things would have been if Jesus didn’t come to where he was and help him. How wonderful it was for God to come in the flesh and heal this man’s body and soul! Throughout eternity, this man will thank God for showing him mercy.
When Jesus reached out with compassion to give sight to the blind, the Pharisees demonstrated spiritual blindness by focusing on their nitpicking rules about the Sabbath (vv. 13-16) rather than rejoicing with this man about finally being able to see birds, fish, trees and flowers after being blind for a lifetime. Sadly, the Pharisees didn’t care about the wellbeing of this man and tried to shut the door to Heaven in his face. In contrast, Jesus ignored the frowns of the Pharisees and made a way to give hope to a hopeless man, for both the present and future.
Jesus made mud and gave instructions to the blind man to deliver his healing. The desperate man did as Jesus said. “After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing” (John 9:6-7). Suddenly, everyone noticed the difference and knew Jesus had incredible power. Most people rejoiced with the man, but the Pharisees did not.
After Jesus gave sight to the man’s eyes, He also saved his soul. Though the Pharisees threw the blind man out of the synagogue when he spoke about the infinite power of Christ, Jesus overruled them. “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him” (John 9:35-38). This helpless man received grace and forgiveness for his sins and saw the divine nature of Christ better than the religious leaders of his day.
Are your eyes open spiritually to see Jesus move, or are you so focused on how you think things should be that you can’t see Him work right in front of you? Don’t let your poor spiritual eyesight be a hinderance to your calling!
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia
