09/10/2026
Special thanks to Samantha Fuell on our Arkansas Thunder (Knight) 16u team for leading our daily devotional. Also special thanks to Kaylee Moix and Sophie Huckabee for offering some great advice afterwards. Great job ladies!
🩵🖤 THUNDER MINISTRY DAILY DEVOTIONAL 🖤🩵
DON’T JUST HEAR IT. LIVE IT.
📖 James 1:22
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
Over the last few practices, something really cool has started happening.
Players from our Thunder teams have started volunteering to read these devotionals to each other.
Lilliana was willing to go first.
Then other players started stepping forward.
Last night, Lynleigh volunteered to share the devotional.
And now I’m standing here tonight.
That shows us something important:
One person’s courage can encourage somebody else to have courage too.
But tonight I want to take that one step further.
Because it’s great that we’re reading these devotionals.
It’s great that we’re listening to God’s Word.
But the Bible tells us that listening isn’t enough.
James 1:22 says:
“DO NOT MERELY LISTEN TO THE WORD… DO WHAT IT SAYS.”
In other words:
Don’t just hear it. Live it.
Think about softball.
Our coaches can teach us how to hit.
They can teach us how to field.
They can teach us where we’re supposed to be on every play.
But knowing what we’re supposed to do doesn’t help very much if we never actually do it.
Our faith is the same way.
We can talk about being kind…
but eventually we have to be kind.
We can talk about encouraging our teammates…
but eventually we have to encourage them.
We can talk about forgiveness…
but eventually we have to forgive someone.
We can talk about serving others…
but eventually we have to serve.
And we can say that we trust God…
but eventually something difficult will happen where we actually have to trust Him.
THAT’S WHEN OUR FAITH BECOMES REAL.
It’s pretty easy to listen to a devotional while we’re sitting here together.
The real test comes after we’re finished.
What happens when you strike out?
What happens when you don’t get to play the position you wanted?
What happens when your teammate makes an error?
What happens when someone says something that hurts your feelings?
What happens when your parents make you mad?
What happens at school when your friends are doing something you know is wrong?
And what happens when nobody is watching?
That’s when we get to choose whether we’re only going to hear God’s Word…
or actually live it.
And here’s something else I want us to remember:
SOMEONE IS WATCHING HOW YOU LIVE.
It might be a younger teammate.
A little brother or sister.
A friend at school.
Maybe even somebody sitting here tonight.
They may not remember every devotional we read.
But they’ll remember how we treated them.
They’ll remember whether we encouraged them.
They’ll remember whether we helped them when they were struggling.
And hopefully, they’ll be able to see Jesus in the way we live.
So tonight, don’t just ask:
“What was the devotional about?”
Ask yourself:
“WHAT AM I GOING TO DO DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE I HEARD IT?”
Because following Jesus isn’t something we do for five minutes before softball practice.
It’s how we live when the devotional is over.
🙏 PRAYER
Dear God, thank You for giving us Your Word and for giving us teammates who are willing to share it. Help us not just listen and then forget what we’ve heard. Help us live it. Help us be kind, encouraging, forgiving, honest, and willing to serve others. Let people see Jesus through the way we treat our teammates, coaches, parents, friends, and even our opponents. And help us follow You when everyone is watching and when nobody is watching. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
⚡ TEAM CHALLENGE
Before practice ends tonight, put your faith into action.
Encourage somebody.
Help somebody.
Thank somebody.
Forgive somebody.
Pray for somebody.
Serve somebody.
It doesn’t have to be something huge.
Just do something.
🩵 KNOW IT.
✝️ BELIEVE IT.
⚡ LIVE IT.
DON’T JUST TELL PEOPLE YOU FOLLOW JESUS.
LET THEM SEE IT IN THE WAY YOU LIVE.
