Mike Fisk & Built with Grace

Living Water

March 12, 2019 in Uncategorized | Tags: blessings, grace, healing, Hope, Jesus Christ, love, passion for God, Restoration, second chances | 4 comments

Have you ever been really thirsty, so thirsty in fact, that you began to feel the effects of dehydration. Dehydration can be harmful to the body. The human body can survive for up to 21 days without meaningful food, but only a couple weeks without water. Water is essential for survival.

Not just any water will do of course. Water can look crystal clear yet contain harmful bacteria or chemicals that can make one sick, or even lead to death. People learning survival skills know the importance of testing water in a variety of ways to make sure, as much as possible, that the water is safe for human consumption.

It’s no surprise to me that Jesus refers to himself as ‘living water’. In John 7:38, he says “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Living water. When I think of living water I think of a rushing stream cascading over a waterfall. Crystal clear. Beautiful, yet powerful. A never ending sign of strength yet in some strange way, serenity.

In the physical sense, water is beneficial to the body in many ways. It helps to cleanse your organs. It refreshes you. It gives you strength. It satisfies.

In the spiritual sense, a personal relationship with Jesus does the same thing to our souls. In the midst of the wilderness, a refreshing drink of water helps us to carry on. When our souls are in the wilderness, Jesus becomes that source of refreshment that helps us carry on. This living water becomes a source of strength when we don’t think we can carry on.

Jesus is the source of purity. There are other religions. There are other philosophies. There are other ways of thinking. But only Jesus offers the guaranteed love and forgiveness of sin that is available through his sacrifice.

Water refreshes the body, but Jesus refreshes the soul when you don’t feel you can go on.

It’s no wonder the psalmist writes, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:2)

Is your soul thirsty? Do you long for some relief from the wilderness you are in? We were created in God’s image and the only way to fill the void in our souls is with the living water of his Son, Jesus.

Little Things Matter

February 28, 2019 in Uncategorized | Tags: excellence, God's Power, grace, Jesus Christ, Luke 16:10, starting over | 2 comments

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a difference. Take, for instance, the lug nuts on the tires of your car. Small, right? Insignificant? Especially if you’ve ever tried finding one on side of the road as your trying to change a tire in the rain? However, without them, you won’t go far.

History is full of stories of little things going wrong with big consequences. Little things can make a big difference!

But this is also true in the positive end. I have a friend who recently lost his management level position at the company he worked for. Even though he was good at what he did, when restructuring of his company came along, his age played against him and his position was ‘eliminated. His age also played against him as far as getting a job of the same caliber even though he was only in his 50’s.

I remember talking with him one day and asking how the job hunt was going. He was frustrated. “No one will even look at me at the management level,” he said, “and there’s no way I’m starting at an entry level job.”

I thought about that as we left. No one likes to start at the bottom. No one likes to do the ‘little, unimportant jobs’. Yet it’s proving ourselves in the little things that prepare us for the big things.

The same is true in the spiritual realm. If you want to see God do great things in your life; if you want to experience God’s power in a mighty way, pay attention to the little things. How you treat people, the words you say, the discipline of spiritual growth are all things that help us see God do great things in our lives. By the way, what you consider ‘great things’ and what God considers ‘great things’ may not always be the same so be patient. Remember, the mighty oak tree was once a nut!

Never, Ever, Ever Give Up

February 22, 2019 in Uncategorized | Tags: blessings, compassion, God's love, grace, Jesus Christ, love, passion for God | 1 comment

One of my favorite movies is Apollo 13. An unseen hero in the movie is Ken Mattingly. Mattingly was pulled from the mission at the last minute as a precautionary measure due to exposure to the German measles. While he didn’t get to go into space, Mattingly played a huge part in the mission by helping NASA figure out a power sequence that helped save his fellow astronauts. His efforts behind the scenes were instrumental in saving lives.

There are times in each of our lives when our efforts may go unnoticed by the majority of people. That doesn’t make them any less important. Our efforts won’t all have the same magnitude of Mattingly’s heroics, but doesn’t make them less important.

The other night I stopped for gas at a local convenience store. A young man from a car next to mine approached me. It was a frigid night here in NW Wisconsin. It was late. He asked me if I’d give him a jump if he paid me. I smiled and said “No, but I’d do it for free.” He was startled but grateful. Later, after his care was running, he offered again. I smiled at him and said, “You know, Jesus loved me for free. I figure I can show some love for free too.”

My act wasn’t heroic to the world, but it was to him. I didn’t make the news that night, but my Heavenly Father saw it. Too often we may feel like our actions go unnoticed by people, and they may. But never let that stop you from doing the good thing, the loving thing. Never ever give up showing Jesus’ love! Others may not notice, but Jesus will.

The Great Mystery Revealed!

February 21, 2019 in Uncategorized | Tags: fear, God's presence, grace, Hope, Jesus Christ, love, mystery | 2 comments

One of the things I learned in my education classes was the importance of being on the level of students. Especially younger students. By doing something simple like sitting on small chairs with the kids, or sitting on the floor with them or kneeling down to talk to them when serious conversation was needed worked wonders. Physical presence bridged the age/size gap.

I like to think the verse in Proverbs is God’s way of kneeling down to our level to reveal himself to us.

“Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the Lord.” Proverbs‬ ‭20:12‬

Listening and seeing are the two senses that speak the loudest to us. Many religions offer gods that we seek after but are impossible to relate to. But not Jehovah God. He has shown himself in the beauty and wonder of creation; he has shown his power in the storm and his gentleness in the rose petal; and most importantly he has shown his character and love through his son Jesus.

He promises that he will reveal himself to those who seek him, The more you search for him, through his love letter, the Holy Bible; the more you get to know him through his son, Jesus Christ, the more you will sense his presence.

This promise is especially comforting during those times when life is a mystery and the future is cloudy because we know who is ultimately in control. His peace is most evident in the storm!

The Search for Satisfaction

February 19, 2019 in Uncategorized | Tags: Christianity, encouragement, eternity, frustration, grace, hopelessness, Jesus Christ, rebellion, relationships, self esteem | 2 comments

Desire. We all have it at different levels. It’s desire that drives us to work every day. It’s desire that fuels our relationships. It is desire that drives us to fulfill, or attempt to fulfill our dreams.

Desire in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. It’s an emotion God has created and placed within each of us. Desire can be destroyed by constant criticism. Desire can be wounded by our tendency to focus on failure and our past. Desire can be crippled by outside forces beyond our control or choices in our past that disqualify us.

On the other hand, the psalmist frequently tells of his desire for a closer relationship with his God. The Apostles tell us in the New Testament writings to ‘earnestly desire’ the things of heaven.

Society tells us to desire those things our eyes can see, our hands can touch, our pride can rest in. If you gain all those things, we are told, you will find fulfillment, contentment and happiness.

But those things will never give us the peace and satisfaction we seek because they are temporal. The secret to contentment is a close walk with Jesus Christ Don’t be sucked in by the things of the world, bask in the fulfillment of eternal things: love, grace, mercy, goodness, kindness, gentleness, peace, joy. These things can’t be bought or stolen, and they last for eternity.