Meet Dylan George, a 20-year-old National Bible Bee (NBB) alumnus from Missouri. Dylan lives on a small farm with two dogs, three cats, fifteen goats (a number which changes frequently), and roughly fifty chickens. He also has lots of hobbies which include playing the piano, working on his farm and of course, studying and memorizing God’s Word. In his free time he also enjoys socializing with his friends from the NBB. He says, “Having a friend group that values the Word of God as I do is so encouraging.”
Dylan participated in the NBB for four years from 2017-2020, qualifying each year in the National Bible Bee Competition (NBBC). “I heard about NBB when I was really young but wasn’t interested. I didn’t think the Bible would be very interesting to study, and I would’ve rather done other things,” he explains. “In 2017 my mom sent me an email asking if I wanted to do it since I didn’t have much going on that summer. I said, ‘why not’ and signed up. Well once I got into it, I was determined to give it my all, and from then on, I was hooked! Turns out hearing the Word of the Almighty God is the very opposite of boring.”
“Lately I’ve been reading through the book of Hebrews, and have gained many new insights in what it means to be redeemed by Christ! The Hebrew recipients of the letter were being faced with many temptations to go back to the old ways of Judaism to find redemption. Their eyes were drawn away from Christ by sacrifices, laws, and ordinances, which were ironically the very things that were supposed to point them to Christ. We also face many of the same temptations today when we feel the need to redeem ourselves by what we do, rather than resting in Christ’s redemption. His redemption is sufficient, and thinking otherwise or doubting Him is pure folly which Hebrews so eloquently and logically proves.”
Fun facts about Dylan:
He’s lived in four states, in three different regions of the US
He’s competed in three different forms of debate throughout high school
He’s currently majoring in mathematics at Missouri Baptist University
When asked to share one of the most difficult moments throughout his National Bible Bee journey he explains, “People may be surprised to hear that my most difficult moment in NBB was not barely failing to qualify for semis in 2018, or failing to make finals again in 2020, but making 5th in finals in 2019. God really used that year to humble me. I was so thankful to Him for making finals earlier that day, and then later on, I was ungrateful and embarrassed for what I thought was a poor performance in finals. It was later that day during the hymn singing that God reminded me of how foolish that was, pointing me back to the original purpose of NBB, and why I did it in the first place. It was tempting to think that I’d be satisfied if only I qualified, if only I made semi-finals, if only I made finals, but I found that seeking satisfaction in those things always comes up short. God taught me that I will never be truly satisfied unless and until I find my satisfaction in Him, and Him alone.”
“Memorizing God’s Word is so beneficial because, for one, it keeps you in line. I can’t count the number of times someone said something that reminded me of a verse I had memorized,” Dylan shares. “Without direction from God, we are prone to stray from His truth and believe what feels right to us, but when we know His Word, the Spirit will use that to guide us into truth as He promised. Knowing the Word has also aided in comforting and encouraging others according to God’s truth.”
Maybe you’re on the fence about Bible studying or memorization. You’ve seen others fully dedicated to it, but you aren’t sure how far you want to take it in your own life. Dylan would like to encourage you with these words, “Just jump in and let God work through the study. When I started, I didn’t initially see the value in it either, but over time I began to realize more and more how much I needed the study, the memorization, and the rigor to really grow in my relationship with God. Make the commitment to start memorizing for a certain amount of time each day, or to use a certain portion of the day to do an inductive study of the Word. God guarantees it will not return void!”
How will you choose to immerse yourself in God’s Word and let Him reveal Himself to you, today? As Dylan concludes, “I didn’t truly realize the power and worth of God’s Word until I spent a lot of time in it, and coming to realize that has been probably my biggest lesson from NBB.”
