Devotional about set apart: October 31

Daily Devotional: Friday, October 31 – Set Apart

By Sports Spectrum Oct 31, 2025

The Los Angeles Lakers celebrate winning the 2020 NBA Finals in the COVID bubble, Oct. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

“For it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'” — 1 Peter 1:16

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In the middle of the COVID pandemic, the NBA organized a completely novel concept to complete the 2019-20 season that the virus had put on pause: the COVID bubble. It consisted of 22 NBA teams invited to finish the regular season and conduct the playoffs at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. To protect players from the virus ravaging the rest of the world, only players, team personnel and essential TV and NBA workers were allowed inside the bio-secure bubble.

For three months, the best basketball players the world had to offer competed with no fans in the stands, underwent daily COVID testing, and weren’t allowed to see any visitors from outside the bubble. That October, when the final buzzer sounded in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the victorious Los Angeles Lakers rushed the court with no cheers from a crowd, and they celebrated the championship without a parade.

The COVID bubble — a nearly $200 million endeavor — was done to keep NBA players away from possible infection, to set them apart from the rest of the world. Believers in Christ are also called to be set apart from the rest of the world, but in a very different way than those NBA players.

God commands His people in the Book of Leviticus to be holy. His reason? Because He is holy. Then, the apostle Peter cites this very command in his New Testament letter (1 Peter 1:16, above). To be holy means to be consecrated — to be set apart. God is infinitely holy in that He is fundamentally different than the universe He created. He is set apart from it. He is with us, closer than we could even imagine, but He is not part of the created universe.

We as human beings live in that universe God created. We interact with the natural world, breathe the same air, and eat the same types of food as everyone else. However, God calls us to set ourselves apart for His glory as He molds us more and more to be like Jesus.

Just because a movie with grotesque nudity and violence is the latest blockbuster doesn’t mean Christians should watch it. Just because idolizing athletes and other celebrities is the popular thing to do doesn’t mean Christians should replace Christ on the throne of their hearts. Just because detestable social activities become common in America doesn’t mean Christians should grow numb to them, let alone begin to do them. None of these practices glorifies God, and all of them present opportunities for us to set ourselves apart from the sin-corrupted world we live in.

But here’s the kicker: God calls us to be holy for our good. God is not just an arbitrary rule-giver. He calls us to be holy as He is holy to protect us from the evils that will result from being molded by the world rather than Him. He calls us away from worldly things and toward the deepest joy and only true satisfaction: a life fully surrendered to Christ.

Like the NBA players in the 2020 COVID bubble, Christians are not set apart to keep them from having fun; they are set apart to protect them from the dangers of being exposed to the wickedness of the world. If you trust Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul, will you also trust that He’s not withholding any good thing by setting you apart?

— Kevin Mercer

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Daily Devotional: Friday, November 7 – Taking Stock

By Sports Spectrum Nov 7, 2025

Boston Red Sox Manager Alex Cora, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, President & CEO Sam Kennedy, from left, listen to reporters' questions, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” — Ephesians 4:22-24

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For Major League Baseball teams, this time of year is critical. Assuming a team didn’t make it to the playoffs, it’s a period of stepping back and evaluating the most recent season, deciding if it’s best to continue with the plan, people and structure in place, or if it’s necessary to make a change. Over the next several weeks, sports headlines, tweets, podcasts and reports will be filled with discussion over the hiring or firing of managers, the trading of players, the signing of other players, and the raw yet real truth of what went right or wrong in certain organizations during the year. One could argue it’s a messy, uncertain time, to say the least.

In the simplest of terms, this offseason period is, for multiple teams, a house cleaning. Front office staff and owners talk through what no longer serves their objectives and what transitions or adaptations must be made in order to go into the next season with some positive momentum. All options are on the table. Nobody’s job is safe, really.

It’s a tense time for most involved. But those in the team’s leadership understand that it’s a part of the business. You must reassess every year what needs to remain or go in order to move the organization’s goals forward, particularly if the team has been struggling or is trying to rebuild.

Yet, it’s also important to understand that this evaluative process must also happen at the individual level for you and me. Especially if we consider ourselves to be a Christian, this process actually must happen on an almost daily basis if we are to properly grow and mature into the person God envisions for us to become. Just like with athletic teams, it can be very easy to get comfortable in the way things have been done, to start settling for what is familiar and routine instead of being willing to shake things up a bit or even start over.

Most of us often forget that the journey of walking with Jesus isn’t just about forgiveness of sin or eternal assurance; it’s about transformation — an invitation into a whole new way of life that will undo everything we’ve ever known and move us into something better than we could ever dream.

Ephesians 4 speaks of the necessary process we all must undergo if we are to change into who God wants us to be. There is a taking stock of what no longer serves us — a setting aside of the old ways, the old self, the old desires — and adopting new attitudes, new perspectives, a new self that is reflective of the character and heart of Jesus.

As with anything, this process will involve some pain, sacrifice and surrender. There will be tearing down in order to build back up. What no longer serves you may require you to let go of or walk away from something meaningful. But the end result is that when you keep saying “yes” to God and letting Him transform your life by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2), what remains is something of far greater worth than whatever was stripped away.

What no longer serves you?

— Katherine Singer

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Daily Devotional: Thursday, November 6 – The End Of Yourself

By Sports Spectrum Nov 6, 2025

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28

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I was sitting in the locker room in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after my fifth bad outing in a row. My ERA had skyrocketed. The season felt lost. And I had no answers. No strength left to give. Physically, I was drained. Emotionally, I was crushed — it felt like my dream was slipping through my fingers. And spiritually, I was as dry as the Albuquerque air.

As an athlete, I believed it was on me to figure it out. It was my job, my livelihood, my identity. I told myself: It’s up to me — my strength, my power, my knowledge. But even as I whispered those words in my mind, I knew deep down I had reached the end of my rope. The lie kept playing on loop: I can fix this if I just try harder. I have what it takes. If I work more, show up earlier, stay later — I can turn it around.

That lie is familiar to a lot of us, isn’t it?

We may trust God in certain parts of life, but when it comes to our sport, we often take back control. We treat God like a cosmic tag-team partner — ready to step in only when we can’t handle things anymore. But that’s not how God works. He’s not waiting on the sideline for your signal. He is always present. The problem isn’t His absence; it’s our awareness.

At the time, it felt like failure. But now, I see something different. Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard says, “Life can only be lived in the moment, but it can only be understood backward.” It wasn’t until nearly a decade later that I truly saw what God had been doing.

In sport — and in faith — one of the hardest things to do is stop making excuses and face the truth about where you are. Not to shame yourself, but to invite growth. To ask: What might God be trying to show me through this?

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Notice, the author Paul doesn’t say all things are good. He doesn’t promise a smooth career or easy life. And he certainly doesn’t say we get to choose the timeline of that goodness. He says God is always working — for our good and His glory.

That means God works in your wins and your losses. In joy and pain. In promotions and demotions. He stands behind you not just to catch your fall, but to redeem your story. And here’s the paradox: Running out of yourself isn’t failure — it’s freedom. When you stop striving to prove you are enough, you can finally rest in the One who is enough.

So step out knowing God has gone before you, walks beside you, and stands behind you. You don’t compete alone, and you never have. Because when you feel like you’ve reached the end of yourself, that’s where you’ll find Him — and He is just getting started.

— Josh Lindblom, Pro Athletes Outreach

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Daily Devotional: Wednesday, November 5 – Obey The Right Voice

By Sports Spectrum Nov 5, 2025

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“Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have violated the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.’” — 1 Samuel 15:24 (NASB)

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Saul was given a task by the Lord in 1 Samuel 15 to “totally destroy” the nation of Amalek. He was told to spare nothing, but he brought back their King Agag and the choicest spoils.

When he was first questioned about it, his excuse was that he did obey by destroying the people, he just brought back the king, and the soldiers took the cattle from the plunder to sacrifice to the Lord. So Samuel reminded Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (v. 22).

A few verses later in this passage, we see why Saul didn’t obey. Saul’s reasoning: “I feared the people and listened to their voice” (v. 24, NASB). Pleasing his men instead of obeying God resulted in Saul listening to their voice instead of God’s.

One of the coach’s responsibilities in each sport is the positioning of his or her players. There are designed spots where each person will need to be in order for the play to succeed. What if every player on the team decided to do his own thing and play where he wanted to play instead of where the coach placed him? Utter chaos!

The same is true in our spiritual lives with Jesus. When we do our own thing, chaos is inevitable in our lives. God has given us His Holy Spirit to empower us to live an obedient life. The more we know Him through His Word, the easier it will be to hear His voice and obey when He desires to move us.

— Mickey Weston, Chicago White Sox chaplain

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Daily Devotional: Tuesday, November 4 – We Matter To God

By Sports Spectrum Nov 4, 2025

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“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” — Matthew 6:26

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I love “The Andy Griffith Show” and can say that I have watched almost every episode multiple times. On one occasion, Andy and Barney were dealing with an old store owner named Ben Weaver who wasn’t a very likeable guy. Once, he came into the courthouse making accusations and complaints about something, and as Ben walked away, Andy looked at Barney and said, “Ol’ Ben Weaver won’t ever die, he’s just going to nasty away.”

When you have served as a football chaplain as long as I have (almost 20 years), you will come across every type of personality — good, bad, nice, ugly and some who could just nasty away. Several years ago, I dealt with one just like that. He wasn’t happy with anything, and in my honest opinion, he just didn’t like himself. One time I walked past him, and he stopped me and said, “I wish this God you talk about cared about wins and losses!”

I was taken back by his statement and really didn’t know how to respond, but somehow God took control of my tongue, and I said, “God cares about whatever concerns His children.” My mind immediately went to Matthew 6:26 when Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

As a friend of mine told me, “Whatever is on your mind matters to God. Sometimes, you may have a lot to say. At other times, you may need to just sit in silence. Wherever you’re at now, invite God into this moment.”

— Scott Nicholson, Mississippi State football chaplain

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