Scripture Bee Victory

"Do what?"

Our translator in Kherson, Ukraine, was trying to communicate the conference leader's wishes to our mission team. The best we could decipher was that she wanted to hold the Scripture equivalent of a spelling bee.

And so we did. Twenty Ukrainian women lined the front of the church and began to quote Scripture verses from memory. When one of the ladies could not recite another verse, or repeated one already spoken, she had to sit down. On and on it went. And on and on and on it went…and went and went. One woman was flagged down by the others when it seemed she was going to recite Psalm 1…. through 150! Finally a tie was declared because the two women still standing apparently had nearly the entire Bible memorized.

When our mission team debriefed that evening we sadly agreed that if we competed in a Scripture Bee, it would be a brief contest. 

One reason our Ukrainian friends consider God’s Word to be precious is because when their country was under communist rule it was not unusual for an entire village to share a single copy of the Bible. So they hid the Word of God in their hearts and now it flows naturally from both their lips and their lives. 

Surely that’s what God has in mind for all of us. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 says, These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 

How might those verses be "translated" today? Here are a few ideas: 

• Use Scripture references as computer passwords. Each time you type Romans828, for example, you’ll be reminded that God is working all things together for your good. 
• Text Scripture verses. 
• Post a “Word of the Day” from the Bible on your facebook page. 
• Stuck in traffic? See how many Scriptures you can quote alphabetically: All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ...
• Personalize Scripture by inserting your name: “For God so loved Sherry that he gave….” 
• Host a Pizza and Parables Party. Gather in groups and come up with creative ways to express the truths of a parable. Discuss what you learned while munching pizza. 
• Sing God’s Word. 
• Learn Scripture by beat. Follow this link to view an example: Proverbs 3:5, 6
• What are your ideas?

You and I may never win a Scripture Bee, but by consistently hiding God's Word in our hearts we can live victorious lives.

If you'd like to see some of the Scripture Bee described in this post, click here.