God Does the Growing

"It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow." - 1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT)

We can easily be let down when we tell a family member, friend, coworker or stranger about Jesus Christ, but they simply do not want to hear it; or they listen, but they do not care about a word we are saying. We become discouraged because we feel it is our responsibility to change their heart and thoughts about Christ. Let me tell you something, we cannot force someone to change their heart, no matter how hard we may try. 

Sometimes, our job is to simply share the good news of Jesus to someone.  By doing so, we plant a seed in their heart. The seed may grow fairly quickly or it may take longer, but all we did was plant a seed. Other times, our job is to talk to someone that already has a seed planted, someone that is thirsty for knowledge and has a desire to learn more. However, planting a seed and providing water alone do not cause the seed to sprout into a beautiful plant. A plant also requires sunlight and nutrients from the soil to grow. Likewise, God is the One responsible for growing a person spiritually. So while we can pray for our family, friends, coworkers, and strangers to have a longing heart for God, He is the only One who can change a person's heart to strive and live for Him. 

Starting a Journaling Bible

This year one of my goals is to dive deeper into God's Word and learn more about Him. That is one of the reasons why I began this blog: to write what I have learned. Although writing what I have learned helps me to remember lessons that God has taught me, visuals also help to communicate lessons as well. 

Lately, I have been tapping into my creative side and enjoy looking at the beauty of bible verses with a related drawing or picture next to it. One of my closest friends has been bible journaling for some time now and I always enjoy seeing her drawings and pretty letters. She loves being artistic and that has helped her dive deeper into God's Word. 

I had been pondering about joining the journaling bible movement, but was always hesitant due to time constraint and fear of what my drawings might actually end up looking like. However, I put all that aside and got a journaling bible! I'm pretty excited to see what new things I will learn as I read His Word while also expanding my artistic horizons. The pictures I draw will serve as a reminder of key verses that spoke to me at different points during my walk with Christ and one day I can look back at them and see how much I have grown since then. Just to clarify, although the artwork may be beautiful, it should NOT be the main focus. The main focus should be on Christ and desiring to be more like Him as we commune with Him.