August 29-30
Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested' – 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.
Yesterday we left Jabez begging God to bless him, enlarge his sphere of influence – his personal mission-field, and be with him. Today we continue, looking at the last request.
4. We get a real insight here of the deep hurt Jabez must have contended with all his life. He pleads, “Keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” On the other hand, he seems to be having cold feet, just as we do. Having asked to be blessed, given a wider mission-field, and seeking God's hand to go with him, he now seems to be saying “Help, what have I asked, please don't make it too difficult.” Oh yes, that rings a bell! God granted Jabez everything he asked, and as a result he was distinguished among his brothers.
Three questions come from this prayer that apply today: 1. What is my name? If God were to give you and me a name, what would He name us? Critic? Shortsighted? Stubborn? Or, Faithful? Kind? Or Generous? 
2. Where am I spiritually? - content to stay within my small, restricted walls of self-imposed boundaries, afraid to step out and put a toe in the water? Or are we ready to buckle our seat belts and get on the roller-coaster of God's service for the ride of our lives! 3. What am I asking of God? Jabez asked God for big things and got them. He didn't lie down, a victim of his name and nurture, he tackled his misfortune, his problems, head-on with humility, laying them in God's hands. He did some faith-walking, instead of just faith-talking.
Amy Carmichael, the famous missionary wrote:
From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from the winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee,
From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified,
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.
Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can destroy,
The hope as disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not seek to be a clod; Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.
Humility. Love. Faith. Hope. Passion. Pray God will give us these as we walk with Him hand-in-hand.
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Housekeeping details for you
The point of this short blog will become clear if you decide to use this reading in the way we intend it. Netherfield Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in healthy churches. You can see what that means if you head to the relevant Healthy Churches page of the website. We also want other churches to be healthy. That means you can join in our campaign to create healthy churches, with healthy people serving the people in those churches.
A healthy church is one where Jesus comes first. A healthy church is one where the people work together to put Jesus first. One thing we are doing is to join people together to spread that news. I would like you to look at our prayer partners page. This will explain how we want you to use this short devotional. Very basically we want you to find a like-minded Christian friend who you will join with to : choose to pray together every day, decide together on a way to serve other people together, to help them grow as Christians - and to invite the Holy Spirit into your life every day. This blog that you will receive every day simply gives a common spiritual purpose. If you are a newcomer and want to join the blog with this object in mind click here
