Competing as a Christian

August 28, 2026

Competing as a Christian

What does it actually look like to compete as a Christian?

Does following Jesus mean you have to become less aggressive? Less intense? Are you supposed to stop wanting to beat the guy standing 60 feet, 6 inches away from you?

I don't think so.

I believe Christians should be some of the fiercest competitors on the baseball field. The difference isn't whether we compete hard.

The difference is what we're competing from.

I recently asked Angels outfielder Bryce Teodosio what it looks like to compete as a Christian. His answer completely shifted the way I thought about the question.

“I think the biggest thing is to compete out of love. Love takes care of it all. I think when you love the Lord and you love competing and you love going out there and doing what He’s blessed you to do, I think that takes care of the anger and takes care of the fear that comes with it.”

Compete out of love.

That idea is almost the opposite of what we sometimes associate with competitive sports.

We're often taught to compete out of anger. Find something that makes you mad. Take disrespect personally. Play with a chip on your shoulder. Prove somebody wrong.

And for a while, that can work.

Anger can give you energy. Fear can make you prepare harder. Insecurity can push you into the batting cage for another hundred swings.

But none of those are sustainable foundations for competition.

Scripture gives us something different.

“Do everything in love.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14

Everything.

That includes how you compete.

When love becomes the foundation, your intensity doesn't disappear. The source of it changes.

You can love your opponent and still want to beat him.

You can respect the pitcher and still want to hit a ball 110 miles per hour off him.

You can love your teammates while competing with them for a starting position.

You can play with emotion without allowing anger to control you.

You can feel pressure without allowing fear to define you.

That's what makes Bryce's words so powerful: “Love takes care of it all.”

When you understand that baseball is something God has blessed you with the ability to do, competition starts looking different.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

Playing for the Lord isn't passive.

If anything, it should make us compete harder.

If God has given you the ability to play this game, honor Him by developing it. Run hard. Prepare relentlessly. Take your ground balls seriously. Be locked in for every pitch. Don't waste the ability you've been given.

But check what's happening inside your heart while you do it.

Am I competing because I love this game and want to honor God with my ability?

Or am I competing because I'm terrified of failing?

Am I trying to become great because I want to steward what God gave me?

Or because I desperately need everyone around me to know that I'm great?

Those motivations can produce players who look identical from the stands.

But God sees the heart.

Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God and love others (Matthew 22:37–39). That doesn't stop when you cross the foul line.

So compete.

Compete hard.

Want the ball with two outs in the ninth. Want the at-bat with the game on the line. Try to beat the guy across from you. Celebrate with your teammates. Play with passion.

Christian competition isn't weakness.

It isn't playing without emotion.

And it definitely isn't caring less about winning.

It's competing from a different source.

Not fear.

Not insecurity.

Not hatred.

Not anger.

Love.

Love the Lord.

Love the people around you.

Love the opportunity God has given you.