Mike Fisk & Built with Grace

ARC Prayer Focus Day 19

May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

There are times when we feel so weak; so alone; so ashamed; so frustrated. We do our jobs, embrace our relationships, and perhaps even minister to the needs of others. Yet, in the midst of doing the best we can the emotion of weakness attacks and we wonder what we need to do to get through it all, or if we can get through it at all.

Paul says strong hearts; holy and…

ARC Prayer Focus Day 18

We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested. Hebrews 2:16-18

“You don’t understand what I’m going through!”

How many times have you heard someone say that when they are going through seemingly incomprehensible circumstances. There is a certain amount of truth to that. We, in our finite, human condition, can’t begin to understand how another person feels. Each of us handles life and life crises in our…

ARC Prayer Focus Day 17

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3

“Set your sights on the realities of heaven…” Really Paul? How can we set our sights on something we’ve never seen? Or do we not worry so much about what we haven’t seen of heaven and focus on what we have seen?

Often we hear Christmas referred to as ‘when love came down’ and that’s a realistic perspective. But it was more than love that came down. It was a taste of heaven.  Society pulls at us to see the meaning and fulfillment of life in…

ARC Prayer Focus Day 16

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. Philippians 1:20-23

We tend to measure our lives by milestones and determine our success by how we have attained each milestone. Some of us have a bucket list of things we want to accomplish before we graduate, get married, retire or die.

There is nothing wrong with…

ARC Prayer Focus Day 15

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:1-2

We tend to imitate that in life which we admire most. We have laws on the books to keep people from copying music, and many other products. These laws are written to protect the source of the product from ‘being robbed.’

God however is pleased when we imitate him. Our imitation of him is like a sweet aroma to his nostrils. We are his ambassadors. Today you may be the only example of God some people see. At the end of your day, what opinion of God will people have based on their interactions with you?

As you meditate on today’s verse ask…