Useless Trivia vs Useful Scripture

I can name all thirteen dwarves from the Hobbit.  I can tell you the twelve big Greek gods, their titles, their origins, their Roman names, and which side they took during the Trojan War.  I can name all the books in the Bible in less than thirty seconds.  I know how all six of Henry VIII’s wives died.  I know that on July 4, John Adam’s last words were, “Thomas Jefferson still survives,” not knowing that Jefferson had died five hours earlier.  I know that Virginia voted twice before seceding the Union.  I know that Popeye was in the Coast Guard and not the Navy.  I know the word “yahoo” was first used in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.  Woodrow Wilson, who is buried in the National Cathedral, is the only U.S. President buried in Washington, D.C.  I could shock you with the number of movie quotes I have rattling around in my head, and I can still name several ingredients of the witches’ potion in Macbeth. 

What is the point of all of this?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Useless trivia is useless, but it is somehow easy to remember.  Why is it easier to memorize useless trivia than Bible verses?  Why do we memorize sports statistics or C.S. Lewis quotes instead of scripture?  Why should we memorize scripture anyways?  Because God commands us, and if we love Him, we are supposed to keep His commandments.  Also, King David writes in Psalm 119 that memorizing scripture brings freedom and delight.

I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,
for I delight in your commands because I love them. Psalm 119:45-47

During the summer of 2008, I lived in Destin, Florida with my older brother and made friends with a group of students called Kaleo’s, who lived in Destin for the summer working and sharing the gospel.  One Sunday after church, I tagged along with a few of them to share to the gospel on the beach.  One of the guys with us started talking to two women who started asking questions that I didn’t know the answer to, but luckily he had the answers they needed and had memorized the verses to back up what he was saying.  That is why it is important to read and meditate on the scripture.  We need to be able to open our Bible’s and show people what God is trying to tell the world.  Scripture was written by God-inspired men, meaning God told them exactly what to write.  Therefore, there is nothing in the Bible there by chance or coincidence.  Every verse you read, God put it there for a purpose.

Have you ever gotten a letter from someone you loved and who loved you?  Did you read it once then put it on the shelf then forget all about it?  Did you read it over and over trying to soak in every word of it?  Did you think about it the next day and read it again?  Did you randomly think of a part that made you feel extra special and made you smile as if that was the first time you had ever read it?  The Bible is God’s love letter to us.  It is full of stories and words of compassion and forgiveness.  God didn’t send you chocolate.  He sent His Son.  He didn’t just send you flowers; He gave you a beautiful world with beautiful people to enjoy every day.  Every promise, every commandment, every story, every word is written in God’s love.  We return God’s love by obeying His Word.  We obey His Word by knowing His Word.  We know His Word by reading it and striving to learn it.  Kari Jobe sings, “The more I seek you, the more I find you. The more I find you, the more I love you.”  God is there if we just look for Him.  Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Listen to George Strait’s song, “I Saw God Today.”  If we’ll slow down from our busy lives for a minute, open our eyes, and look around, we can see God’s fingerprints on everything.  When you do your daily Bible reading, don’t just skim over the scripture.  Read it.  Drink it in.  Think about it.  How does it apply to your life?  How can you use it in your life?  Memorize it.  Share it.

Useless trivia is great fun.  I’m hoping one day I can get on a game show and apply my useless trivia, but until then, it remains useless.  Last I checked, useless trivia never got anybody into Heaven.  So before you turn on Sports Center or the Today Show or your computer, spend a little time with Jesus.  Ask Him to show you something in His Word today.  You might be surprised.