Congratulations to all you participants for completing the NBB summer study! You have all worked very hard to get to this point in your studies, and that is something to be celebrated.
While a lot of you are feeling relieved to be done with the test, and some of you are getting ready to study for the National level, there are some of you who might be feeling disappointment from not moving on to the national level. What I want to say to you is great job on your perseverance. I know it is really hard when you work towards something and don’t reach the goal that you were hoping for. However, that does not mean that you haven’t done something amazing with your summer. You could have chosen to do so many other things, but what you chose to do was spend time studying the very Word of God! The value of knowing God and his Word is more precious than any earthly prize we can imagine. Psalm 19:10 talks about this very thing when it says, “More to be desired are [the rules of the Lord] than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.” What you have gained this summer by reading and studying God’s Word is more to be desired than qualifying for a national competition like NBB, or winning $50,000. You already have the most treasured possession. Whether or not you did as well on the test as you were hoping, you already have the best reward, which is not only knowing God’s Word, but also having it stored in your heart!
The book that you have been studying these last few months, the book of John, is such an incredible book sharing the life and death of Jesus. But John tells us the whole purpose he had for writing his gospel in John 20:30-31: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, see which are not written in this book. But these were written so that you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John’s whole purpose in writing his gospel was so that we may have life by believing in the name of Jesus Christ. We should all be condemned to eternal separation from God because of our sin. And yet, God had mercy and sent his Son, Jesus, to take our punishment for sin so that we may live forever with God. Most, if not all of you reading this probably know that message very well. But think about what you have done this summer by studying a book that is pointing you to that message with every word. What you have gained from doing that will be a blessing to you and those around you, and you can now share the incredible gospel, as well as the many other truths you have learned, with those around you. You never know how God will use the time that you spent in his Word. Jesus spoke about this very thing in John 14:26. He said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” You will be amazed at the verses that will stick with you and God will bring back to mind when you need them.
Of course, it is not at all wrong to enjoy the competition aspect of NBB, or to try to reach a goal, or to try to win. And it is totally ok to be disappointed when those goals are not met. God cares about these types of things too. Sometimes not reaching a goal like this can be great motivation to help you study more the next year. You will also now have a better idea of how to study for NBB if you participate again. And finally, it can help you in other areas of life in knowing how to stay disciplined and motivated when working towards something important.
However, remember that the main purpose of participating in the National Bible Bee has never been to give you another competition to be a part of (although that is a fun part of it), or to win a bunch of money, or do well on a test. Our main purpose for participating should be, as the NBB says, “to Know God’s Word and Make Him Known!”
That is what you have committed to doing this summer, and that is what you can continue to do throughout your life. You didn’t study just any book this summer. You didn’t just gain some extra knowledge that you may or may not use in your life. You studied the very Word of God. The Word of God that is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). You studied the Word of God that will never fade, as described in Isaiah 40:8, which says, “the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Everything else in this life, everything we choose to do or invest in, will fade away. But not God’s Word. Yes, the Word that you now have in your heart and mind. The words that you spent the last three months studying. That is what will last forever. That is what will sustain you and keep you until the day when we go home to be with Jesus forever!
Written by NBB Alumna: Victoria Hoverson
