Moss, Anna

Name: Anna Moss

Host: George Moss

City/State: Bells, Tennessee





Why I Love the Bee:
I love the Bible Bee because of all the ways that God has used it to sanctify me and make me grow in my relationship with Him.  Through the Bible Bee, He has given me a hunger for His Word and a desire to study it.  Before Bible Bee, I wasn’t very diligent at even just reading my Bible, and God’s Word wasn’t the greatest joy of my heart.  But when I started participating in the Bible Bee in 2012, the Lord worked a great change in my heart.  I no longer see my time in the Word as a duty, but as the delight of my heart.  The time that I spend memorizing is now my favorite part of the day.  The Bible Bee has drawn me so much closer to the Lord.

The Bible Bee has also given me a closer relationship with my siblings.  When I’m having long conversations with my older siblings, we can quote Scripture to each other and encourage each other with the truth.  For my younger siblings, it has given me an opportunity to share the Gospel with them and remind them of what the Bible says.  I’ve been blessed by this, because they know the verses, too, so I can ask them, “What does Ephesians 4:32 say?”, and then they quote the verse to me.  Doing the Bible Bee also gives us a common interest.  Although there are some of us who are naturally going to love it more than others, we all enjoy it, and it gives us something that all of us -- from my nineteen year-old alumni sister to my soon-to-be-three year-old brother -- can talk about.

Though the Bible Bee, I have also met many of my closest friends!  I am so blessed to know so many godly teenagers, who truly desire to grow in the Lord and walk in His ways.  You are all such an encouragement to me, and I am so thankful for y’all!

My Favorite Verse and Why:
This is really hard to decide.  I looked at the list of passages, I read through a little notebook that I have written favorite verses in, and I racked my brain trying to figure out what my favorite verse is.  I’ve always said that I don’t have one particular favorite verse, but it seems especially true this year :).  One passage that keeps on coming back to me, though, is Colossians 3:23-24:

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

It has been a good reminder to me to work hard for the Lord in whatever I’m doing, whether it be fun (like Bible Bee) or not-so-fun (like working outside in 95 degree weather).  The last part of the passage, especially, encourages me to persevere, because if I’m doing it for Christ, wouldn’t I want to do a good job?!

Why I Would Encourage Others to Get Involved:
I would encourage others to get involved with the Bible Bee and memorizing Scripture because of the opportunity it gives us to grow closer to God.  If you want to know God, you need to know His Word.  If you want to know the truth, you need to know His Word.  If you want to obey God, you need to know His Word.  If you want to have a deeper fellowship with the Father, you need to know His Word.

You really need to make Scripture memory a priority in your life.  The psalmist in Psalm 119 said that he had hidden God’s Word in his heart so that he wouldn’t sin.  There are so many times that I have been on the verge of sinning, and then the Holy Spirit reminds me of a verse right then.  James 4:17, especially, has been a good reminder to me: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

In addition, God’s Word has been a comfort to me countless times.  “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” (Psalm 94:19)  The Bible in my heart reminds me to trust in God and not worry about anything.  He is completely in control, and I know that I can place all things in the hands of my loving Father.