I often get asked where I start when it comes to inspiration for Bible Journaling pages. People wonder where to begin faced with the enormity of verses (and supplies!) to choose from. For me, there are a number of ways that I find pages to journal, but one of them is to do a search of an online Bible app for a word that is inspired by a stamp set. When I received the Forest Silhouettes set I looked up the word 'animals' to see what came up, and one passage that caught my attention was 1 Kings 4:29-34.
In these verses Solomon is described as having very great wisdom, discernment and understanding given to him by God which resulted in astonishing knowledge about all kinds of things, including different types of trees, animals, birds and fish. People travelled great distances to hear his wisdom and he was described as being 'wiser than anyone else.'
As someone who enjoys learning and gaining knowledge, I find this fascinating. But I also look at the wider story of Solomon's life and find it very sad. You see, Solomon had all this wisdom relating to the animal and plant world and about decision making and strategy and wealth, but he did not apply godly wisdom to his personal life. He accumulated 700 wives and 300 concubines who led him astray in his devotion to the Lord. All the knowledge about trees and fish were no use when it came to making choices to be obedient to God.
I have to remind myself of this when I am learning, even learning things about the Bible in studying theology. There is no point having a bunch of factual knowledge in terms of the way something works or the history of something, without the willingness to actually follow Jesus personally in our everyday decisions. Sometimes it is easy to hide behind our 'knowledge' and use this as an excuse not to simply obey. Often it is easier to explain something to someone else than to live it out in real life. I pray that in our knowledge and wisdom (which are good and right gifts of God that should be desired and stewarded well) we will also be people who obey the commands and leading of God with simple faith.
I thought the animals and trees in Forest Silhouettes were perfect for this page. I painted a watercolour background first, then stamped the images over the top, some with Inktense blocks and water, and some with VersaMagic inks. The text is a combination of Mini Grunge Type Alpha and Skinny Lowercase Alpha.
I am grateful to God for the wisdom and understanding he chooses to give us about many different things. I am also grateful for the Holy Spirit's continual guidance as we seek to follow Jesus as Lord.
Be blessed...
x Amy x
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