Swim O Toe Dipper

Ezekiel 47:5 - “Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.”

We have not even scratched the surface yet. I believe we are still in the comfort and coddle zone. We are dipping our toes, possibly risking our ankles with a little healing water lapping onto our knees, but will only pretend to launch out into the deep where there is that "risk" of a true relationship with Jesus. We are still “hanging onto” and “hiding behind” the "hurt", the "breach", the "wound", the "offense" and the “miry marsh places” because that seems to be more important to our identity than truly extending the grace of God to those who offend us.

  • We are still projecting our name tags and religious connections as our buckler,
  • We want to be exclusive in our inclusiveness to purify our people gatherings,
  • We hold fast to our self proclaimed lines of demarcation and separation as our shield,
  • We have become our own high towers in defense of our self serving decisions, thus sacrificing His vision,
  • We are terrified to be blessed by the rejoicings and praises of this present generation for fear of embarrassment before the holy ones,
  • We are quick to label, but extremely hesitant to love because we might be thought of as lenient,
  • AND We are fearful of a Kingdom that might be so much bigger than our meager offering of “righteous” service to the King.
                 So we become the last monument to pitiful self indulgent guarded grace.

As the "Old Man" of Joel chapter 2 (a war worn saint, full of Dreams of yesteryear) was watching his beautiful store front chapel, week after week, as it was turned into a noisy unruly corral for the halt, the maimed, the lame, the blind and the unprofitable children of the street (and this was done by "The Young Man" of Joel 2 who was fully devastated by his Vision of his present generation); He would say to the discouraged young man because failure appeared more evident than success, "Cheer up, stuff happens, let's keep serving the King until He comes again. This is your time!"

  • The old man saw pandemonium slowly turn to order (but not on this side),
  •  He saw shattered windows open light to rescued lives (but not on this side),
  •  He saw fierce faces reluctantly fade to friendly smiles (but not on this side),
  •  He saw the broken heart-ed line up to be patched up to heal (but not on this side),
  • He saw Hell robbed “one by one” and Heaven rejoicing (but not on this side),
The "Old Man" never saw the victory on this side of Heaven but he is seeing it now in that great cloud of witnesses; and the young man continues to pass that “Dreamer's”encouragement as he moves through the Prophetical Singing of the Sons and Daughters who are proclaiming, "Look what God IS doing!"

Here is where the cookies begin to crumble to the lower shelf: We are either swimming to the place where this generation around us (and with us) is saying … "Look what God IS Doing!"; or we are living amidst the sad songs of fearful toe dippers who whine … "remember the good old days?”

Rise up broken hearted saint ... God is Always Relevantly Powerful in the changing generations. As the Young Men and the Old Men unite in the “Young Man's Vision for the Field” with the “The Old Man's Dreams of Heaven” by the outpouring and leading of God's Spirit - God is Glorified. Lift up your eyes for the fields are white unto harvest, throw off your grave clothes and your robes of mourning .... wade out into the Deep, swim though you cannot cross ... for there you will find Jesus. Swim in the healing for the sake of the Kingdom.

HLFA,

Jeff