Cory Messerschmidt is a 20-year-old National Bible Bee Alumnus from New York. He has competed in NBB for 10 years, from 2009-2018, and qualified from 2015-2017. He has two older siblings, but is rooming away from home as he finishes up his last semester of college double-majoring in Business Administration and Accounting. He is outgoing, friendly, enjoys making others laugh, but most of all, has a passion for truth as it is found in God’s Word.
Cory started competing in the NBBC with his family back in 2009. “My sister was definitely more successful than I was,” Cory says. “But when she aged out of NBB, I had to step up and really put the effort in to make it to NBBC in 2015! Throughout the years, having other friends that were participating was a huge encouragement to me to keep going.”
Cory says the NBBC has impacted him by helping him to internalize God’s Word. While he hasn’t competed in NBB for a couple of years, he can still recall many verses he memorized for it when he did. “While some of them have faded into the recesses of my memory, others are still with me and continue to encourage and challenge me as only the inspired, holy Word of God can!”
A specific area God’s Word impacted Cory’s life was in the area of anger. “As a younger child, I dealt with a lot of anger in my life. Although there were other factors that contributed to my growth in this area, we know that sanctification ultimately comes through the word (John 17:17). By God’s grace, I have more joy today and love to share the hope of the gospel with others.” Most of all, NBB has deepened Cory’s walk with God by providing him an understanding of who God is. “If you don’t know the God you’re worshipping, will you really have much to worship Him for? God has revealed Himself to us both through Christ and through His Word. There is so much to praise Him for, but if we don’t spend time in the Word, we can miss much of the blessings contained in His Word. NBB was a time where I could spend a concentrated effort studying God’s word and getting to more deeply know and understand the God who had created me.”
Cory’s favorite Bible passage is Titus 3:3-7. This passage contains the heart of the gospel, and serves as a reminder of the sin God saved us out of and how He did it – not by works of righteousness, but according to his mercy. “There is no good deed or amount of good works that I can do to make myself righteous and pure before God. My sin separates me from Him due to His holiness, and He punishes lawbreakers eternally. However, this passage reminds us also that Jesus Christ is our Savior! He came to take our place, washing us by taking the punishment we deserved on Himself.”
One of Cory’s hobbies is golf. He enjoys it because it pushes him both to develop the right strategy and to seek precision. It also provides him an opportunity to spend time in the great outdoors in nature. He also enjoys reading, especially books about theology, a subject he has a great passion for.
To participants new to memorizing scripture, or to NBB, Cory has these words of encouragement. “Your brain is a muscle, and the more you exercise it, the stronger it will get! There are depths to be mined from Scripture, and having to turn it over and over in your mind in order to memorize it will greatly profit you. Consider memorizing verses that are meaningful – for instance, Titus 3:3-7 would be a great passage to memorize for sharing with unbelievers. This will keep you motivated as you keep the benefits and blessings in mind!”
Written by NBB Alumnus: Dylan George
