Some Concluding Thoughts About Jabez

SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ON JABEZ

I want to share some concluding thoughts on Jabez and encourage you to stick with the journey. I have gleaned so much from this verse the past few weeks, and have enjoyed hearing stories of how God is at work in your lives.

If you have been skeptical about this, I want to encourage you to think through several questions that I asked myself early on:

1. Are we bold enough, willing enough, humble enough to ask God for
His blessing on our lives?

2. Are we willing to be persistent in our praying to believe that
God will do what He has promised?

3. Are we willing to have Him expand our borders no matter what that
looks like for us personally or corporately?

4. Are we willing to look at the ways that He will keep us from evil
so that we don't cause pain to ourselves, our families and our ministry?

5. Are we willing to leave by faith vs. living by sight?

Lest you think that I have gone off the deep end, let me remind you again that the Jabez prayer is not:

1. A "genie-in-the-bottle-hocus-pocus" prayer.

2. An "escape clause" to allow us not to do our part.

3. A guarantee that things won't get worse before they get better.

4. An attempt to manipulate God into getting our way.

5. A way to escape God doing something in your own life.

My prayer is that you will have the boldness and courage of Jabez to take God at His Word and believe Him! Let me hear from you today.

Great Quote: All other passions build upon or flow from your passion for Jesus. A passion for souls grows out of a passion for Christ. A passion for missions builds upon a passion for Christ. When Hudson Taylor was once asked what was the greatest incentive to missionary work, he instantly replied, "Love of Christ." William Booth's passion for helping the underprivileged, the derelicts of society, and for world evangelization was built upon his passion for Christ. The most crucial danger to a Christian, whatever his role, is to lack a passion of Christ. The most direct route to personal renewal and new effectiveness is a new all-consuming passion for Jesus. Lord, give us this passion, whatever the cost! Wesley L. Duewel