Scripture Memory Rewards

Blue 10 Speed Bike

In the sticky, sweltering days of the Augusts of my childhood, I always looked forward with excitement to the VBS at our large, Bible-teaching church.  This last event of summer break was full of great Bible lessons, fun games, friends, scripture memory, and prizes… really great prizes.  When I was in my early teens,  I learned on the first day of VBS that the grand prize for Scripture memory for teens was a 10-speed bike!  It not only had rolled, racing handlebars, and hand brakes, but also was my favorite shade of bright, aqua-tinged blue.  This was a $100 bike at a time when my spending money was earned either babysitting for $.50 per hour or picking strawberries at $.13 per quart!  Throughout the VBS morning, this bike sparkled and shined up on the platform at the front of the sanctuary, and I really wanted that bike.

Of course, in addition to the grand prize bike, there were second and third prizes,  various smaller prizes and colored ribbons to be awarded.  But, I don’t remember what any of  those other prizes were… my desire was for the bike.  On that first day, each VBS-er received a list of 100 verses to memorize, and a punch card to be punched for each verse recited.  The competition had begun.

On the second day of VBS, I went to the verse recitation table, recited all 100 verses from the first list, and asked what were the verses for the next day.  The shocked leaders held an impromptu pow-wow because they had expected the 100 verses to be more than enough for the whole week.

While they were deciding what verses were to be memorized next, I realized that I wasn’t the only one who had recited all 100 verses that first day.  My very dear friend was standing at another recitation table, also waiting anxiously for the next group of words.  Now, I had an extra incentive to memorize… someone else wanted the bike.  Deep down, I recognized other desires also.  I was a believer, I loved the Word of God and I wanted to please the Lord.  But, if I am being honest, these right desires were not my strongest motivations.  I really wanted that bike!

After the initial 100 verses, I was given full chapters to learn.  Thus, for the next 3 days, my life was spent memorizing Bible verses.  I studied verses, then went outside and practiced reciting them while I jumped rope.  I copied verses onto flashcards, and flipped through them while soaking in the bathtub.  I fell asleep rehearsing the verses in my mind, but if I forgot a word, I flipped the light back on until I got it right.  I looked for rhymes, tunes or rhythms that would make the words stick.  At the end of the 4 days of memorizing, I had recited over 380 verses, word perfect, with no more than  5 “helps” per day, in the King James Version.   I won the bike.

While I loved riding that beautiful, bright blue bike for many years, it has long since been relegated to the scrap yard.  But, the majority of those verses are still stored away in my mind.  In fact, most of the verses that I know today from memory are verses that I learned at this one summer VBS.  Looking back, I am so thankful for this stockpile of scripture from my youth.  Having God’s Word in my heart is a much greater reward than any prize given, including the 10-speed .

Because external scripture memory rewards were so effective in motivating me to memorize verses, I am a fan today of rewarding children for learning the Word of God by heart.  While I have never had a budget to allow anything as cool as a bicycle as a reward, I am known to always have a piece of candy or small toy for the children at VBS that memorize their daily verse.

In 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Paul is warning Timothy about false teachers.  He tells Timothy to adhere to the doctrine that Paul (or other trustworthy men) had taught and also to remember the scriptures that Timothy had known since he was a child.  Paul points out that it was a blessing to Timothy to have this early knowledge of God’s Word.

While children are naturally able to memorize very readily, they don’t often have the spiritual maturity to desire to memorize scripture.  Just as we can provide health benefits for children that can last into adulthood by using fun games to encourage exercise, we can provide spiritual benefits for a child’s future by using cool rewards to promote Bible memorization.

What scripture memory incentives have you used?  Have you held overall competitions for a grand prize?  Leave me a comment, as I would love to hear your ideas about what does and doesn’t work for encouraging scripture memory in children.

With Joy,

Kathleen

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photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/80009874@N00/7229239372″>hilsen at a shady spot</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>(license)</a>