[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fenlarge-my-territory":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fenlarge-my-territory-surround":67},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":14,"columnName":49,"date":50,"description":20,"extension":51,"image":52,"meta":53,"minRead":54,"navigation":55,"path":56,"postType":57,"publication":58,"publicationUrl":52,"seo":59,"stem":60,"topics":61,"__hash__":66},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fenlarge-my-territory.md","Enlarge My Territory!",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12,13],"1 Chronicles","Ephesians","Colossians","Hebrews","Romans",{"type":15,"value":16,"toc":45},"minimark",[17,21,24,27,30,33,36,39,42],[18,19,20],"p",{},"Did you ever hear of a man named Jabez? His brief biography appears in an unexpected place, tucked away in the middle of nine chapters of Old Testament genealogies; but this noble man stands out like an oasis in a desert. First Chronicles 4:9 simply notes, \"Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.\"",[18,22,23],{},"What character traits made Jabez so honorable that he stood out among his peers? Was he known for his faith? His kindness? His honesty? His love for God? Jabez's strength of character brings to mind another little-known Old Testament figure, a fellow named Hananiah who \"was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do\" (Nehemiah 7:2).",[18,25,26],{},"Curiously, Jabez' name sounds like the Hebrew word for pain. His mother gave him that name, saying, \"I gave birth to him in pain\" (1 Chronicles 4:9). Just guessing, but wouldn't you struggle with some identity problems if your mom looked at you when you were born and said, \"You're a pain\"? Because the Hebrew word also can mean \"sorrow\" or \"grief,\" it's possible Jabez' mother had more than the physical pain of childbirth in mind. Did she experience some other serious hurt at the time of her son's birth—perhaps a painful illness or the death of a loved one? At any rate, poor Jabez was saddled with an ominous-sounding name that could make him think pretty negatively about his prospects in life.",[18,28,29],{},"But somehow he rose above the negative implications of his name—in part, at least, because he was a man of prayer. \"Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request\" (1 Chronicles 4:10).",[18,31,32],{},"Scripture doesn't tell us what Jabez did for a living. Was he a farmer, a soldier, or a ruler of some sort? One thing is clear: Jabez was ambitious and visionary. He prayed for God's blessing and boldly asked the Lord, \"Enlarge my territory!\" The King James Version puts it, \"Enlarge my coast.\" Jabez prayed for bigger horizons, for more responsibility, to accomplish bigger things.",[18,34,35],{},"Was this a selfish request? Not necessarily. If God is first in your life, you can humbly ask him to \"enlarge your territory.\" If you care about reaching lost people, or growing a church, or building up a youth group, or expanding word missions, you can pray with meekness and sincerity, \"Lord, expand my territory! Broaden my influence. Help me reach more people, touch more lives, and extend your kingdom.\"",[18,37,38],{},"But before God enlarges the territory of our outward influence, he wants to enlarge our inner territory. He wants us \"to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ\" (Ephesians 3:18), to bear \"fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God\" (Colossians 1:10), and to train ourselves \"to distinguish good from evil\" (Hebrews 5:14). As someone has said, \"Deepen your message and God will broaden your ministry.\"",[18,40,41],{},"God's response shows that Jabez wasn't just being selfish when he asked for a larger territory. The Scripture says, \"God granted his request.\" The Lord will enlarge the territory of our influence too, but first he wants to build our character. And character often grows during times of pain as we endure hardship and develop perseverance (Romans 5:3, 4).",[18,43,44],{},"Why wallow in pain when you can release your worries in prayer? Like Jabez, we need to bring our ambitions, our fears, our hopes and dreams, and lay them all at the feet of our Lord.",{"title":46,"searchDepth":47,"depth":47,"links":48},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","1998-08-23","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fenlarge-my-territory","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":20},"articles\u002Fenlarge-my-territory",[62,63,64,65],"Spiritual Formation","Biblical Theology","Perseverance in Suffering","Church Leadership","d3-F_kiDIuaVLfz3wsvlpKLkCRHMwYTUmNlm2wsCNss",[68,73],{"title":69,"path":70,"stem":71,"description":72,"children":-1},"End-of-the-Year Clearance","\u002Farticles\u002Fend-of-the-year-clearance","articles\u002Fend-of-the-year-clearance","During this time of year newspapers are filled with ads about \"after-Christmas specials\" and end-of-the-year clearance sales—so the same item you rushed out and bought for $50 last week now costs $30, which may have been its original price in the first place.",{"title":74,"path":75,"stem":76,"description":77,"children":-1},"Faith During the Dry Times","\u002Farticles\u002Ffaith-during-the-dry-times","articles\u002Ffaith-during-the-dry-times","In case you hadn't noticed, real life isn't like \"home on the range,\" where \"never is heard a discouraging word.\" Discouraging words? They seem to be everywhere. Just turn on your TV or read the newspaper. Listen to the whines of your pessimistic coworker who can find the downside of any situation, or the irritating radio talk-show host who thrives on controversy."]