That season comes every year. The Summer Study just ended and you don’t know how to use all of this extra time that suddenly appeared on your schedule. Previously, you had spent many hours studying and memorizing God’s Word while preparing for the Qualifying Test. But now it’s over, and you aren’t really sure what you should do next. Memorize an epistle? Take a break? It can be a confusing transition to go from nerve-wracking competition to silence in a matter of days – I’ve been there! During this time some experience a lack of motivation, some fill it with catching up on school work, and yet others continue on as if there was no break at all. No matter how you respond to this transition at the end of the Summer Study, I want to share five ways you can incorporate Scripture into your daily life right now.
Regardless of what off-season looks like for you, the most important thing is that you are still immersing yourself in the richness of God’s Word and following Christ by the strength of His Spirit. A break from the competition aspect of Scripture memorization is important at times, but never should we go without Scripture or its internalization as a whole. We need God’s Word at all times, no matter how much we have going on or how we feel in a given moment!
- Keep Memorizing – Take advantage of the habit you have already cultivated over these past few months of memorizing Scripture and keep doing it! Don’t stop because there is no longer any competition, but keep advancing in your knowledge of God’s Word. The more time we spend in it, the more like Christ we become, the more we know our King, and the more we can witness the Holy Spirit using it in our lives. Find a passage, chapter, or Book that stands out to you and gather a group of friends together to memorize it. If this is a busier season for you, try to find ways to multitask by listening to Scripture while doing other tasks at the same time. Use the creativity you had for memorizing passages in Bible Bee in this season too. Make goals to keep that memory muscle of yours sharp and see how God uses it!
- Participate in a Group – One of the most encouraging aspects about the NBBC is the large community of believers there is, centered around the same goal and fixed on the same purpose. Having a group of fellow believers focused on God’s Word provides encouragement, accountability, and spiritual growth. Consider ways you could dive deeper into Scripture with others around you. God’s Word is more easily on the forefront of our minds when we talk about it with others and spend time with fellow Christians who spur us on into good works.
- Go Deeper – I don’t know about you, but when I competed in the National Bible Bee I discovered so many verses and topics that I wanted to dive into on a deeper level. Yet, as I was competing, I wasn’t able to devote as much time to understanding those singular cross-reference or verses. Whatever truths stuck out to you in the Summer Study, take time now in the off-season to tackle those topics and study them deeper. Take your time! If God revealed to you an area that you need to work on through your study, take more time to slow down now, go to His Word, and let its truths shine light upon your heart.
- Proclaim Scripture – Proclaim! Day is a fun experience and a great way to end the study season, but don’t end there! Use that inspiration to embolden you to proclaim God’s Word wherever you go. Let it flow out in your conversations and witness to those you may come in contact with. Recite Scripture every morning when you wake up, or quote the passages you have recently memorized to family or friends. These truths you have hidden in your heart are powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). They are not to just remain in your heart never to be spoke, but to be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. – As it says in 2 Timothy 4, be instant in and out of season. Be prepared and willing to declare the transformational truths of God’s Word! Another fun opportunity for declaring God’s Word are Scriptoriums. Reach out to those within the Bible Bee community to find out when they may be taking place, or consider starting your own in your area!
- In Everything You Do – 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” One way we can apply this verse to our lives is by incorporating Scripture into every aspect of it. Exalt Christ through obeying His Word. Serving, evangelism, and worship to Him are ways we can do that. Seek to use every seemingly mundane task as an opportunity to glorify God as well. Meditate on His Word as you are doing chores, or thank Him for the truths of the gospel as you are on a walk. There’s not an area of the Christian life – from writing and schoolwork to conversations and personal hobbies, that God’s Word and glory cannot be made our primary focus.
Keep memorizing. Participate in a group. Go deeper. Proclaim Scripture. In everything you do, bring glory to God. How will you choose to incorporate Scripture into your life today?
Written by NBB Alumna: Hannah Kohner
