Jabez (3)

When Jabez prayed, “Enlarge my territory,” he was saying, “Lord, I want more than I’ve got, and I’m asking You for it!” This man had great ambitions, and God blessed them. There are three common misconceptions that can keep us from having great ambitions: (1) We confuse fear with humility. We say, “Oh, I could never do that,” and think we’re being humble. But that’s not humility. That’s fear; that’s lack of faith. A truly humble person would say, “With God’s help, I can do it. With God’s blessing, I will do it. I may not be able to do it on my own, but with God’s help, I can.” That’s real humility. (2) We tend to confuse laziness with contentment. We quote Paul: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11 NIV). But this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t set goals. Paul wasn’t saying, “I don’t have any ambitions or future plans.” Just the opposite, in fact! He spoke of “reaching forth [to] those things which are before” (Philippians 3:13). If you don’t have a dream or a goal, ask God for one. (3) We confuse small thinking with spirituality. Some people say, “I serve God in my little way.” Why don’t you start serving Him in a bigger way? Why not let Him use you more? Other people say, “Well, I’m just fine the way I am. That’s the way God made me.” It’s wrong to blame God for your lack of growth, because He has provided all the tools and ideas you need in order to grow. Bottom line: think big or you’ll get in God’s way!