I have always loved how God’s Word is so visual and leads the reader to not only hear it… but to see it as well. Some verses, of course, are more visual than others and Psalm 1 is a perfect example. We can all visualize a tree and we all know what leaves and fruit look like so we have a good place to start… but sometimes, as we take the time to meditate on a verse, God coaxes us to think outside the box… to “see” a little more than we did at first. I believe God often wants us to show us more than we’re seeing and tell us more than we’re hearing… if we will only take the time to hear His voice and see what He wants show us.
I love every time I have the opportunity to share with others about why my Psalm 1 illustration has been dubbed the “fruit cocktail” tree. In this Psalm God says we will bear fruit… and what came to mind as I pondered verse 3 was that we, as believers in Christ, bear the fruit of Spirit which we know is multi-faceted… love, peace, joy, and so much more. But we also bear the delightfully multi-colored fruit of our labor in respect to using our gifts, talents, and abilities for God’s glory. Because we are all created to be unique individuals, the fruit we bear through our good works will be as unique and varied as we are… therefore, a “fruit cocktail” tree.
Also, where this verse says “in everything we do, we prosper, I thought about what God’s perspective of prosperity might look like beyond financial gain or material blessing, and the imagery of the two birds and a nest came to mind. They symbolize the idea of our greatest prosperity being the spiritual heritage we pass down to our children, our neighbors, and so many others, through the fruit we bear and the lives we live.
So as you illustrate God’s Word… whether in your Journaling Bible or a notebook… be encouraged to take the time to meditate on God’s Word and allow Him time to stir your heart and open your spiritual eyes to see more… and create outside the box.
You can find this Psalm One Art Print here.
PSALM ONE COLORING PAGE…
And if drawing isn’t your means of expression, I am delighted to share this Color-Your-Own Version of my Psalm One Tree here.
As you spend time coloring, allow your heart time to reflect on God’s Word, the fruit of the Spirit, or your own fruitfulness. Consider how your talents, gifts, and abilities feed and nourish the people God has placed in your life and how their fruit feeds you as well.
BIBLE JOURNAL TRACING…
Or… tuck a portion of the printed coloring sheet under a page in your Journaling Bible and use it as a Traceable! I’m already thinking of several verses it might work well with including Galatians 5:22… the fruit of the Spirit!
I hope this has been an encouragement to you… and may the Lord continue to bless you and coax you to think outside the box in your own creative worship time!
Jeremiah 17:8. Thanks for sharing your tree!
Hello Karla, loved your post today about Ps 1 and the Fruit Cocktail Tree. Would I be able to print a copy of this for each of the 7 women attending a Mentoring seminar I will lead on Saturday April 2? It will be a great addition to our discussion. Two years ago I introduced you and your drawings to the ladies at a prayer retreat. They loved this way of expressing their love to the Lord.
Hi Debi…
Are you asking to print out the blog post for your women? If so… absolutely… love being able to share it in this way! Bless you and your women!
Karla
Hi Geri…
I do love how God says this twice… once in Jeremiah and again in Psalm 1… I guess He wanted to make sure we heard it! 🙂
Bless you my friend…
Karla
hi Karla, just want to thank you for free colouring pages, I saved 2 to colour, huge blessings ♥
I just spent my day browsing through your blog. I’d get up and clean or fold a load of clothes or put up a couple of quarts of strawberries and then sit down and scroll through a couple of pages. May I just say how much I enjoyed it? It was fun seeing the progression of your art over the past nine years or so. And it’s *so* refreshing to see your love for Jesus shine through every post/page! While I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to find you (and now that I’ve found you, I’m following you here, on facebook, your website and favorited your Etsy shop — I’m not stalking, just trying to keep current), catching up was a lovely way to spend the day and alleviate the tediousness of the tasks at hand. I’ll be looking forward to your next post! 🙂
Your new website is amazing! And I’m so happy to see some of the beautiful things you’ve posted on Facebook her, too! Thanks!
This is a great idea!! Thank you for sharong another fabulous tutorial!! Blessings, Tara
Karla,
Thank you for sharing your amazing gifts of creativity with us all.
I still think this would make a great workshop! Thanks for the suggestions my friend!
I am having so much fun looking at everything…
I love the idea of tracing the pic into the Bible like that. Just wondering what kind of Bible gives you lines like that?
Hi Rebekah… it is a Crossway ESV Single Column Journaling Bible. You can find them online! 🙂
God’s words are so encouraging. He has promised us that all things are possible with Him. That’s the words I’d like to encourage you with as I look through your blog. You’ve done a wonderful job with setting it up. May God bless you as you share your heart with others. You have such a wonderful talent.
You are truly so talented!
Your story is as beautiful as your work. You have encouraged me to do some water color paintings with GodsWords in them. The exception is your work is fantasticly wonderful to treasure and mine look as if they are made from a first grader. However I’ll keep trying. Thank you for showing the world your wonderful gifts. Live you new websight.