Enlarge: Daily Witnessing

There is a great request of God by a man named Jabez. It is found in the Bible in 2 Chronicles 4:9-10. The Bible says, "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” 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.

Jabez asked two things. First, that the lord would enlarge his territory. God wants to enlarge your territory. Since God instructed us to "fill the earth" in Genesis we have had a desire to expand and enlarge our territory. This is evident in the conquests of ancient kings and empires, colonialism, the westward expansion of North America and finally, the quest to grow beyond this planet into space exploration. We are beings who want to expand and enlarge our territory.

For the common person who is not an explorer, astronaut, warrior or conqueror this passion is often lost. It is lost in the cage of a cubicle, or the maze (rat race) of a schedule that is too busy with non-expanding work.

One way for the Christian to break out of the cage and find the excitement of enlarging their territory is through leading friends to Christ. I may not find a new continent, but I can lead literally hundreds, even thousands, of people into the kingdom of God in my lifetime! I can be a conqueror, an explorer of dangerous territory, a warrior who is building a kingdom.

The second prayer is that he would be free from pain. The fear of being a warrior, conqueror, or explorer is the threat of pain, discomfort, and even death. It is a dangerous job. The fear of witnessing is that it will bring pain, frustration, and unwanted discomfort to our life. Yes, there will be pain and uncomfortable times. However, there will also be times of victory. "But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, his greatest fulfillment of all he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." Vince Lombardi.

Have a great day,

Paul