Friday, March 10, 2023

Think on These Things


LEUCADENDRON (LILY)

I chose to paint this flower because it is a lily, and I was thinking about this Scripture passage, Matthew 6:28-30 (ESV):

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

This is a “think on these things” passage for me. It is an admonition not to worry. I need to “think on” that. A lot.

For Christmas, I received a journal from my grandson and his wife. I decided to use it as a “Think on These Things Journal.”



Following is what I wrote in one of my entries in this journal:

I like what Courtney Doctor says regarding the following passage:

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. - Romans 8:5-8, NIV

In her Bible study “In View of God’s Mercies,” Courtney says, “The focus of your life will determine the trajectory of your life…Setting your mind on the things of God means that you think about God, His Word, and His ways. You seek the things of God, trust the ways of God, and live under the influence and authority of the Word of God.”

I tag my entries in this Journal with the relevant topic from the list in Philippians 4:8 (see my handwritten note in the journal, above). This entry is tagged
*true
*pure
*praiseworthy

I also painted the Leucadendron on a page in my Interleaved Journaling Bible:


This Bible has a totally blank page (front and back), between each page of Scripture, allowing space to paint and write in the Bible without marking or painting on the actual printed pages in the Bible.



Note: It has been a long time since I have done a page of art in one of my Journaling Bibles. I had forgotten that watercolor does not play well with a page that has had gesso applied first (which I did here). It was a challenge to make it even presentable! (Totally different from painting on watercolor paper, as was the case for the piece at the top of this post.)

#watercolor #bibleartjournaling #leucadrendon #liliesofthefield #donotworry #thinkonthesethings