The Word of God has changed my life. Without it I have no direction. My life would be simple anarchy as I would do, think, and say whatever I felt without regard to the possible repercussions both for me and for anyone I was in contact with. When I was much younger I told God that I just wanted to be His. Even though I walked away from Him, He never let me go. I could always feel His presence even in the bars, sleeping off a drunk in the back of a horse trailer, or when my marriages fell apart.
This blog is intended to share my story and the affect God has had on my life. I fully intend to search out His word and share what I have gleaned.
Any and all questions are welcome. I will ask that no profanity be used in discussions and will remove any comments containing such.
If a question is asked I will answer as quickly as possible. I don't know everything but I know Who does.
I do have a sense of humor and I believe God does too... just look at the Duckbilled Platypus if you doubt that.
I do not consider myself a "Bible scholar". However, I can discuss what He has done in my life and what He has revealed to me through His word. I know that my experiences are not wasted. They will all serve to glorify God. And if someone out there is having or has had similar experiences and he/she can be helped through God's wisdom as I have learned it then baring my soul is worth the price.
Reaping the Whirlwind of God's love,
Lori Burke
As I listen to the birds outside this morning I am reminded of God's great mercy. In His love He gives us things, simple, free things that make us happy. The sunrise or sunset. The smell of freshly mowed grass. The giggle of a child. The song of a bird. God's miracles are all around us. We just have to reach out and grasp them.
In our busy lives this becomes more difficult but that is just because we allow the world to crowd out what God has provided. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, He has given us the ability to have peace beyond our wildest imaginings. This is a deep abiding peace not to be confused with emotional turmoil.
In Matthew 14:25-33 we are told the story of Peter wanting to walk on the water with Jesus. In a nutshell, if Peter had kept his focus on Jesus and had not been distracted by the storm around him, he would have been fine. Still, as he sank, Jesus was there to lift him up just as he does us.
In our foolish stubbornness we often think we know better than Jesus. We turn away and make our own decisions and then cry out to God to save us as we sink. When, if we just keep our focus where it should be, we might stumble but we will never fall completely.
In His wisdom, God has given us free will. This means He will not knock us down with the Word or force us to follow Him. He loves us all, even if we do not love Him. He wants no human being to spend eternity in hell. But it is our choice.
Just like the old saying you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. God can only put His mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love out there but He won't make us take it. It must be our choice. Choosing shows our commitment. He wants us to want Him. Oh, and how He pays us back! He constantly gives. He holds us when we hurt and corrects us when we step off the correct path. He loves us more than anything. It is my opinion that we should return that love to our best ability.
Riding the Whirlwind of God's Grace,
Lori
Peter and John had lived with Jesus. They had witnessed many miracles and had become enabled through the Holy Spirit to perform miracles.
In Acts 3, after Jesus' death and resurrection, we see that as they went through the streets of Jerusalem to pray at the temple they saw a man who had never walked because of a deformity in his feet and ankles. He had begged as a means of supporting himself every day. His parents would bring him to the busiest place in the square, the gate called Beautiful, and would leave him there to rely on the mercy of others.
When they walked near the man he looked at them expectantly. He wanted them to give him something and was waiting to receive it. They gave him much more than mere money, they gave him a miracle... the ability to walk. No longer would he have to beg or to be pitied.
Peter and John explained that this only happened by the power of God and not by anything they could possess on their own. Because of their humility, God was able to use Peter and John greatly.
In Acts 4 we see that the Saducees (teachers in the Jewish faith that only followed the first 5 books of the Old Testament) became upset when they saw these two uneducated men teaching in the temple.
Rather than being humbled by the power of the God they professed to believe in, they were enraged because this miracle, and the subsequent teaching about how it came about and what had happened to the Man who made it possible. All they could see was their own power, as leaders in the community, being usurped by Jesus even after they had managed to kill Him.
The Saducees had Peter and John arrested and brought them before the Jewish leadership hoping to stop them from spreading Jesus' message which threatened their positions in the community.
However, the bible says that the Holy Spirit filled Peter and he began to speak of Jesus and the salvation that can only be obtained by His name. It also says that these leaders could see Peter and John were uneducated and untrained they were amazed at how they spoke and acted and could tell they had been with Jesus.
Because people were watching and proclaiming the Glory of God, and because the proof of the miracle (the man who was healed) was standing before them, they had to let Peter and John go. There was no way they could punish them without causing the people they wanted to rule to rebel and walk away from them.
1 Corinthians 1:27 tells us
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; (NKJV)
This is proven out here as He used humble men, perceived to be weak, to confound haughty men, perceived to be mighty.
Father,
Let us remain humble in our hearts knowing that what is done through us is done in Your power and to Your glory. Let us be so steeped in Your word that we will instinctively act as You would have us act and speak as You would have us speak. Let us remember where our strength comes from and Who loves us so much He gave His only Son to die that we might live forever in Heaven. Lord we long to worship at Your feet for eternity.
Amen
