“Water deep enough to swim in – a river that no one could cross.” Ezekiel 47:5 NIV
“Stop waiting, and wading; jump into the big middle of life!”
My thoughts today are about “life beyond limits.”
None of us are free from limits of some kind, but your limits are less than you may think. Maybe the “human condition” that is common to us all, makes each person aware and leads people to wrongly accept what they or others consider to be their limits.
As a child, when I would tell my Dad, “I can’t do that,” I recall his often saying, “You can’t if you think you can’t.” Now he and I both knew that realistically there are things any person can’t do, but he wanted me to learn that with a bit of self-confidence, a lot of effort, and a little help from somebody, I could do more than I thought. Limits are often assumed and self-imposed.
Today’s verse describes God showing the prophet Ezekiel a vision of a river with ever increasing expanse and depth. As he began to experience the river, the river deepened and broadened, first from a trickle to ankle deep, then to his knees, then waist-high, until “it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed.“
Opportunities multiply when you accept the ones you’re given. Life enlarges as you press against its difficulties. Success is achieved when you embrace the risk of failing. You will reach your maximum potential when you try life beyond limits. “I pray that from His glorious unlimited resources, He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 3:16 NLT.
Really, it is not so much about taking the limits off of yourself, as it is taking the limits off of your God, “Who is able to do above and beyond all that you ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20. What God calls you to do will always be greater than the resources you start with, until you understand that God is your source and His supply is unlimited. See Philippians 4:19/Colossians 2:10. Your background, education, appearance, or inadequate resources are not what limit you.
Ezekiel realized that life can be unlimited when he saw, “There will be life everywhere the river goes. All kinds of trees will grow along the banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail.” Ezekiel. 47:9,12. Stop waiting, and wading; jump into the big middle of life! Stretch yourself; set new and larger boundaries, if any at all; extend the borders that confine you. Begin the great adventure of the soul; reach with all your heart for everything that God has for you – life beyond limits!
My prayer for you today is that you take the limits off yourself and God.