Balancing the Bible and Content Creation

Idle Vanity
May 31
3 min read

I’m excited to share this post—because something in me has shifted.

Lately, I’ve felt set free from the chains I unknowingly put on myself when it comes to Bible study. For a while, I was stuck in a cycle of planning, and halting... planning content, planning Bible-study-based videos, planning outlines that had to be “just right.” It all started to feel performative and caused me to lay off on the journaling altogether. It was like I was studying the Word to produce something, rather than to receive something.

But recently, I stumbled across a sermon by John MacArthur that completely stopped me in my tracks. The message?:

"Don’t impose the overview onto the text. Do not be under the tyranny of the outline.”

And this one hit especially hard:

“Never study to create a sermon. Study for the edification of your own soul.”

Exactly what I needed.

I realized I was spiritually dehydrated—thirsty for God, but filtering everything through the lens of “ministry production.” I thought, If I’m going to serve, I need to constantly be creating something worth sharing. But the truth is this: ministry should flow from the overflow of my personal walk with God, and not the other way around.

And honestly? That’s the whole point of why I started calling these posts "Journals." They’re not sermons. They’re reflections. They’re the heart-learnings from my quiet time with God that I've decided might be worth sharing with other people who may find some value in them.

Scripture That Spoke to Me This Week

A perfect place to start again has been 1 Corinthians 3:

“He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God’s building.”

—1 Corinthians 3:8–9

This verse reminds me that my job isn’t to force growth—it’s to show up, plant, water, and trust God with the rest. I don’t have to perform or produce perfectly polished lessons. I just have to serve faithfully, and let the Holy Spirit do the transforming.

Later in the chapter, Paul builds on this:

“Like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation… Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ…”

—1 Corinthians 3:10–11

It’s such a beautiful reminder: Jesus is the foundation, and everything we create or share, whether it's journaling, a video, a study group, or a quiet encouragement to a friend - it should point back to Him. We want to build with intention, using materials that withstand the flames: gold, truth, love, Scripture—not straw and hurry and the fear of falling short.

Ministry Isn’t a Performance

We don’t build alone. And we don’t build to impress.

We’re fellow workers with God and fellow believers. That’s both humbling and freeing. My role isn’t to be perfect; it’s to be faithful and rooted in truth, for the edification and building of the Church.