Living in His Word and Engaging in His Gifts ~ Guest Post by Jemma OIson

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

NOTE:  ALL of the lovely Scripture art in this post was created by Jemma!

Such a wonderful blessing and compliment to her beautiful writing!

Thank you, Cheryl, for this opportunity to share a part of my heart on "Living in His Word."

Cheryl and I are longtime blogging friends. Cheryl’s steadfast testimony and love of the Lord enriches the lives of so many of us. So, when Cheryl invited me to share my personal story on how I am coping with the season of the 2020 pandemic and what it is that is keeping me encouraged, I felt a calling to share my faith with you.

I have good news to share with each one of you today. If you are reading this then we are already brothers and sisters in Christ! So, hello and thank you for taking a moment to read how I fill up my cup through faith.

You see, I have what I call a "tool belt" of faith. It is loaded down with tools of inspiration and tried and true coping skills that I use daily. Today, I am going to share three of my tools with you and how it all began.

It was along the banks of the rushing Snake River where my Mother and Father began their farming journey. Mother and Father were hard working farmers in rural Idaho with tool belts of their own, both figuratively and literally. These two precious souls have always been the early foundation of my faith. They led their lives by example and hard work under the blue skies of the West. Mama and Dad instilled in me that God is present in every plant that grows and every pink sunrise and that the bounty of the harvest was because of Him.  It was this firm foundation, combined with Church service, Sunday School, Youth Group, and Mama’s general daily dose of living in the Word that has lived in my heart for 63 years. My heart overflows with love and gratitude for these two.

We all know that life is never easy, but God is always present. 

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

I have survived cancer, sent my Sister, Dad, and Mom to heaven and navigated through verbal and emotional abuse that ended in divorce.

Through all of these heartbreaks and life lessons, I have never ever gone through life alone. I may have felt lonely, but I was never abandoned. I receive great comfort in knowing that I have my Heavenly Father to walk with.

So as God walks right beside me and teaches me (and I am not an easy gal to teach…I am stubborn!)  I am sharing with you three handy dandy life skills that I tuck in what I call my "tool belt" for life.

1. Living in His Word daily and staying out of the world.

I am going to share one of my Mama’s favorite scriptures today.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15

This is the first tool in my Christian tool belt; stay in the Word daily and out of the world. I was too gullible in my early years and I pretty much believed what everyone told me, I just couldn’t fathom why folks would have an agenda that wasn’t for the betterment of mankind. In our tiny farming family, it was all for one and one for all. We were a small but collective group of farmers who loved Jesus and tended to business. I have since learned that not everyone we meet, not everything we read, not everything we see is for our good. We have one true playbook for life and that is the Bible. By staying in the Word and out of the world, I guard my heart and mind from the evil that lurks around us.

I believe the Bible is as relevant today as at any time throughout history. I believe it was written by divine inspiration and that Jesus is the Messiah. 

When I focus on what I know to be true, humanity cannot permeate the love of Jesus and His perfect plan for each one of us. He really does have us covered!

2. Remain Steadfast in Daily Routines and Prayer

    

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life." Psalm 143:8  

Daily routines and spending time with the Lord are essential for me. My mind remains clear and my heart remains open to receive goodness and the truth. Of course, it can vary some each day, depending upon family needs. The good news is that God knows my heart and intentions; He will cut me some slack and values quality over quantity!

So, when the pandemic first began to get really noticed, two of my children and their families and myself had just met for a family ski trip in Vail, Colorado. Needless to say, all routines had gone out the door and my quiet reflective devotionals had, too. We were scrambling to gather everyone up, checking into the resort… then as fast as we arrived, the trip was cut short because the ski resort shut down due to the pandemic scare.  We hurriedly put one family on a plane, loaded up SUV’s, and sent another family back to Texas. I headed back down from the mountains to Colorado Springs.

 Once I arrived home, my husband helped to unload the SUV, and I headed straight for the grocery store…that had been wiped out of nearly everything. I felt I was spinning out of control, and I felt sick at heart.  I reined myself in, purchased what I could, went home, prayed, and began resuming my daily routines. God was waiting for me with His unfailing love!

3. Engaging in His Gifts.

"I Come to The Garden Alone," my favorite hymn and my sweet Mama’s, too.

“I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses, 

And the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.

 And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own; 

And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.” 

C. Austin Miles 

It is no accident that I not only love to garden, but I also enjoy spending time in the garden. This is one of the gifts that the Lord has placed on my heart and in my soul.

As a nature lover and avid gardener, I see the beauty, power, strength, and love of the Lord in everything He created. 

I see His perfect plan in the mountains, pines, flowers, and birds, and I know in my heart that He truly has the whole world in His hands. This is the gift that our sweet Lord gave to my parents as they worked their wheat fields of gold. Figuratively speaking, this was their garden, and now I have mine. 

There in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus sought much-need comfort and solace with His Father in a time of pain and sadness. Today our world hurts, our fellow citizens are afraid—some lonely, some sick. My prayer today is for full healing for our world and for all of Christ’s people.

Bio:  I'm Jemma, a homemaker and a long time home-style crafter, gardener, cook, wife and Mom.

I blog at At Home with Jemma where you will find a collection of crafts, decorating ideas, recipes, gardening tips, and articles on living with Faith, mindfulness and creativity. 

I share valuable methods for creating the home that you will love. My focus is on incorporating a positive mindset into daily living, combined with a dash of organization and a pinch of humor and of course crafty goodness!

Such beautiful, sweet encouragement for our souls from dear Jemma!  Please visit her beautiful blog and subscribe!  You can also connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.  I was so blessed and encouraged today and by all of the other wonderful posts of encouragment that have been shared.  I want to say another public thank you to ALL of the faithful ones who have encouraged us during this trying time.  God has surely used each and every post to minister healing and solace to our hearts.

How are YOU coping with the pandemic, dear reader?  How is your faith in God sustaining you through it all?  Will you prayerfully consider writing an article of encouragement to share?  We are continuing to open up our platform here to spread more good news and messages of hope and peace!  Please let us hear from you!  Just send your article to homespundevotions@gmail.com.  We hope to hear from you soon!

And, now for Jemma's and her Mama's favorite hymn.


In the Garden ~ Alan Jackson

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