Take a look at these two bible spreads.

One is simple and clean, while the other is very crowded.

My bible is full of spreads that look like either of those two images.

Look familiar?

Chances are, your bible looks like that too.

When I’m studying the bible, sometimes I feel creative.

Sometimes I want my bible study notes to look like a work of art, with beautiful splashes of colour everywhere.

Other times, I just want to keep things simple, not worry so much about how it looks and just spend time with Jesus.

And when I’m feeling creative, there are times when I don’t have enough bible notes to make the page as crowded as I’d like. So I find other ways to fill the page up.

I put in the notes that do not particularly speak to me, or write random things that don’t have much value to fill the page up.

And that reminded me of a bible verse:

Matthew 23:27 (New International Version)

²⁷ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

Back in Jesus’ lifetime, the Pharisees were a group of people that paid excessive attention to how they appeared to other people, in order to gain their praise.

And when I look at some of my full bible pages, and then compare them to the simple looking ones where my first concern was learning about Jesus to equip me for good works, I knew which I liked more.

The simple, half-empty pages that are not as appealing to the eye, but more worshipful.

Sometimes, good bible journaling means coming to the Word with an audience of One, instead of seas of people online that you are trying to impress with an Instagram worthy post.

The sooner you put down your need to have a full, beautiful bible spread, the easier it is for you to get away with Jesus.

Get away with your Creator, and commune with Him!

Full bible pages shouldn’t be the priority. Worship should be your first priority.

Yet I also have pages like this:

Here, my priority was good study. I didn’t care to infuse the spread with all colours of the rainbow.

So it might not look as pleasing to the eye.

But I know that God is more pleased with this.

While I studied this section of Scripture, I actually ran out of space to write.

So I used a sticky note.

So my point also is, bible pages can be full and still be worshipful.

Here is another spread:

This spread is so colourful, and I also ran out of space. But my priority here also wasn’t to make the pages beautiful.

It just happened that way because I was using an old system that has been working for me.

But this spread looks appealing to the eye, and its heart is also appealing, because my main focus was Jesus, not Instagram.

God can be pleased with either ugly or beautiful spreads, full or empty spreads if your heart is in the right place.

My beloved friend, lay down your desires for your idols and worship the only true God – Jesus.

I pray you find peace in Him.

God bless and happy bible journaling!