Expand My Territory
1 Chronicles 4:9,10 Jabez was honoured more than his brothers; and his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!” And God granted what he asked.
We live in a world with a distorted sense of what blessing really is. Perhaps that’s why so few God’s people ask Him to bless them. Perhaps that’s why so few of God’s people are actually a mighty blessing to those around them.
Jabez back in the Old Testament asked God to bless him … a lot!! And God granted what he asked for. Why wouldn’t He? God is totally in the business of blessing His people. Our problem, as Jesus put it, is that we simply don’t ask for His blessing often enough.
Well, that’s not a problem that Jabez had, because he asked. Okay, so he’s being blessed (a lot!!) because God granted him what he’d asked for, so then, what’s the very next thing that Jabez asks God to do?
1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border … (NRSV)
What’s the next thing that he asks for? That God would enlarge his borders, or his territory. Why? Because he couldn’t contain the enormous blessing. He needed God to enlarge his borders, so that he could share the blessing around. Just imagine if God blessed you so much that you had to go to Him and say:
Oh God, please expand my influence. Please bring more people into my life so I can share your blessing around.
That’d be, well, kind of cool wouldn’t it? So when was the last time that you asked God to bless you a lot!! Because listen to me. He wants to bless you – a lot! – so that his blessing will overflow like a floodtide into the parched and dry and needy lives of the people around you. You are blessed to be a blessing.
Oh that you would bless me (indeed) and enlarge my borders!
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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Mary Frazier
Excellent teaching on Jabez.
Excellent teaching on Jabez.