Eyes on the {Real} Prize

"Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God." – Psalm 90:1-2

This is one of the verses I’m memorizing for a Bible Bee I’m participating in. I have to basically memorize the whole Bible. I know I can get pretty deep every now and then, but let’s face it – that’s a huge task! While there is a…um…cash prize for the winner, I’m trying not to get wrapped up in the money aspect and how many verses I can memorize in a day. It’s extremely difficult for me, because I want to just blow through all the verses and not give a care about what they say. Yet it forfeits the purpose.

Eyes on the {Real} Prize
I’m trying to keep my goal on God, not the cash prize, not the number of verses I blurt out, not my competition. I want my focus to be solely on God, and then – the cool part? – I can’t lose. Even if I don’t get the money and the trip to D.C., (although my joy may be of a slightly lower degree at first, let’s be honest), by the end of September I’ll be coming away with an amazing experience and the Truth to guide me.

Now I Know
I’ll be prepared wherever I go, "for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).
When I’m seeking God, "surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:6).
I know that, by carrying the Truth with me, "I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You" (Psalm 119:11) because "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105).
I know it’s important that I study the Bible because "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1:14) and because "whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life"(John 5:24).
Now I know that "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).