Participating in the National Bible Bee and learning so much of God’s Word has been such an incredible blessing. My name is Jordan and I’m fourteen years old. I have only participated [in the NBB] for four years, since 2018, but I’ve learned more Scripture in just one of those years than I ever thought was possible. God has used the NBB and the Scripture I’ve learned to completely change my life and my outlook on the world. Why is it so important to know Scripture? One of many, many reasons is so that we can think of ourselves as who we really are. How do you think of yourself? Strong? Intelligent? Healthy? What have you contributed to make yourself that way? One of the ways God has changed my views on life is recognizing the fragility of life and how we have nothing to do with our “accomplishments” or even our being alive. It’s so easy to think that you’ve got many years ahead of you, especially when you’re young. The reality is, life could end at any moment. Everything we have is a gift from God that He has graciously given to us, but He could take it all away at any moment. Take a moment and think about it. Are you responsible for any of the actions that are keeping you alive right now? Breathing? The lungs that we have are a gift from God. Pumping blood? God gave us a heart specifically for this purpose. We can’t do any of these basic functions without God’s help. He could take it all away from us, and our lives would be gone. A commonly quoted Bible verse is Philippians 4:13. It reads, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” I think this verse can also be applied to say “I cannot do anything without Christ who strengthens me.” (This is taking the contrapositive of the original statement, which also results in a true statement. In this case, I don’t think there ever has been a truer statement.) This is something that God has been teaching me this past year. Through God’s Word, I’ve learned so much about God and how He has graciously given us so many gifts. I’ve also learned about the fragility of life. Psalm 90:9-10 says “For all our days pass away under Your wrath, we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty, yet their span is but toil and trouble, they are soon gone, and we fly away.” 1 Peter 1:24-25 says, “For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” James 4:14 says that we are but a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Knowing the reality of life is just one thing that a good knowledge of God’s Word can help us understand. So many verses point us toward the knowledge that life is short, and this should lead us to the conclusion that we need to trust in God for our salvation now, as well as share the Good News with others so that they can share in eternal riches in heaven along with us. (That is another thing that a good knowledge of God's Word- will teach us.) God’s Word is eternally important and shows us important truths that we should apply to our own lives. To God be all the glory! This is the first verse of a hymn that I really love called "All Glory Be To Christ." The message is amazing, and I hope it encourages you as well. :) "Should nothing of our efforts stand No legacy survive Unless the Lord does raise the house In vain its builders strive To you who boast tomorrow's gain Tell me what is your life A mist that vanishes at dawn All glory be to Christ! All glory be to Christ our king! All glory be to Christ! His rule and reign will ever sing All glory be to Christ!" -Jordan Tabor Jordan was a semi-finalist in the Junior Division for the 2021 National Bible Bee Competition
1 Comment
Rachel S
1/17/2022 07:49:48 pm
Amen!! Soo good, Jordan ♥︎
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AuthorHello, I'm Hannah and I'm so glad you're here! I'm a twenty-year-old Jesus-loving writer, National Bible Bee Alumna, and homeschool graduate. Jesus redeemed me, and now I give my life, and this blog, to serve Him. Hebrews 3:13 reminds us to encourage each other daily, lest we be hardened by sin. I hope that reading each blog entry that I post you will be encouraged and challenged to become more like Christ daily. |