We reach the end of the calendar and flip over to the new year. January 2026 is bright and clear, gleaming with opportunity. The next twelve months stretch ahead with more possibilities than we realize. But I am sure many of you have a list, whether physically or mental, of goals for the new year. One of them may be to form a new habit. Maybe you want to be more intentional in your relationships or in how you spend your time.
For many who are involved in the National Bible Bee, one of your goals may involve memorizing Scripture. And that is one of the best ways to grow your relationship with the Lord and make good use of your time! But you may be nervous, as I have often been, that your memorization goals will end up like many on your list. You think you can stay consistent in January; February will be fine; but by the time March arrives you will forget about memorizing and your goal will collect dust in a corner of your mind. As hard as it is to admit, our goals are sometimes beyond our time and ability; and even if we want to commit to a goal, it can be easy to get off track or distracted.
While it can be daunting to think of maintaining a year-round commitment to memorization, there are ways to bring this goal closer to yourself and the availability you have. And when you consider your goal in light of your time in the National Bible Bee I hope you will find it easier to make and keep up with memorizing, both during the study season and the off season.
First of all, if your goal is to memorize more Scripture, make part of the goal to memorize all of the NBBC memory passages. Some of you may think this is an obvius point, but others may not have ever memorized all of their memory passages. I understand that many are busy during the study season and it is not realistic to memorize every passage. But after the competition is over, you will still have the memory passages printed out. And instead of tucking those away you can begin to work through them one at a time. Choose a few favorites and memorize at your own pace; you can study them at a deeper level than you would have been able to during the competition. And by the time the next National Bible Bee Summer Study starts, you will have committed all of the previous year’s passages to memory.
One reason this is a good goal to make is because it is clearly measured. You are committing to memorize a specific amount of passages, and the amount of work you will need to do to achieve your goal is clear. You also have a set amount of time to finish memorizing the passages. If you are planning to participate in the next National Bible Bee Summer Study, you will most likely want to complete last year’s passages before jumping into brand new ones. With a measurable amount of work and a limit on the amount of time you have, you will find that your motivation and productivity will tend to grow.
If you have already memorized all of your memory passages during the competition season, there are several other ways to make manageable goals. Keeping in mind that you only have a few months between last year’s National Bible Bee and this year’s, I recommend that you make a smaller goal and then increase it as you have time. This means that you start small when selecting a passage, passages, or book of Scripture to memorize. If you want to memorize a book of the Bible, I don’t recommend you start with Psalms! (unless, of course, you have the time and will not be overwhelmed by the longest book of the Bible 🙂 Be sure to take into account the amount of school you will be doing, whether or not you have a job, and any extracurricular activities or hobbies that will fill your time. Then start with a shorter book, such as a minor prophet or epistle, that you can finish in the few months between National Bible Bee seasons. If you find that you can get through the book faster than you expected, you can pick a second book to memorize as well. Just make sure that it is also able to fit in the few months of time before the Summer Study begins.
If you don’t want to tackle a full book of the Bible quite yet, another option is to do a topical memorization study. Pick an attribute of God or a fruit that followers of Christ should be producing. Then search for verses that highlight that theme throughout the Scriptures. Once again, make sure you select a set number of verses so that you have a clear and attainable goal. A fun aspect of topical memorization is that you can spend more time studying the passage surrounding the verses you memorize. You can dig deeper into the context of verse, the people speaking or writing the passage, and the deeper meaning of the verse within the book it is in. Memorizing one or two verses on a specific topic gives you the opportunity to spend more time meditating on God’s Word, not just internalizing it but processing it. It helps you not simply hide God’s Word in your heart but understand it with your mind, and this in turn will help you to apply what you memorize.
When making memorization goals, be sure to set limits on length of the passage or passages you memorize. Be sure to give yourself a time constraint so that you can make a memorization schedule; in this way, you can be encouraged as you internalize and study the Scriptures. Whether you decide to start with a book or take the topical memorization route, always remember the reason we memorize God’s Word: to know Him and make Him known.
“I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” – Psalm 119:11
“ …but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…” – 1 Peter 3:15
May you be blessed by your time with the Lord as you store up His Word in your heart!
Written by NBB Alumna Rachael English
