“In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'” — 1 Peter 5:5
>> Sign up here for Sports Spectrum devotionals sent right to your email inbox <<
Who do you play for? This is a question often asked of a baseball player. The typical response for a professional player would be to state the organization he is with, like the Chicago White Sox or New York Mets. If he’s a minor leaguer, he might get more specific and say he plays for the Birmingham Barons or the Binghamton Mets. But I have never heard a player say he plays for the name printed on the back of the jersey — his own last name.
The apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:5 of the kind of uniform we need to put on each day. He encourages readers to “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” As followers of Jesus, we all play on the same team. We may have different names on the back of our uniforms, but we identify ourselves by the front of the uniform. We strive for the same things as team members and don’t seek glory for ourselves. We have different gifts and abilities, but no one member is to be more highly esteemed over another.
At the end of the verse, Peter tells us why we are to “clothe” ourselves with humility: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Live for the front of the uniform and walk in His grace.
— Mickey Weston, Chicago White Sox chaplain
If you would like to submit a devotional, please email all submissions to
devotionals@sportsspectrum.com.
