You Were Made for More—Ask God for It!
By Rick Warren

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers . . . 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 4:9-10 (NIV)

You may feel ordinary, but God made you to live a life of significance.

The Bible is filled with ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives because they believed God would work in and through them. They believed God made them for a purpose and a mission on earth. 

One example is a man named Jabez. God gave him an honorable mention in 1 Chronicles, a book that includes nine chapters of genealogies. Right in the middle of that long list of names, God singles out Jabez, an ordinary guy, in two verses.

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers . . . 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 4:9-10 NIV).

Those two verses give all the information we have about Jabez, but they reveal that he lived a life that was anything but average. What was the secret to his success?

Jabez had great ambition. While many people are content with being average, Jabez wanted God to do something significant through him.

Jabez was ambitious, but, just as importantly, he was motivated by the right things. How do we know Jabez’s motives were not selfish? Because we read, “And God granted his request.” God will never honor an unworthy request. 

If you want to live above average, then dream big! You’re not meant to go through life wondering, “What am I doing? Where am I going?” God wants you to have a great ambition, fueled by the desire to serve him. 

Jabez had a growing faith. Jabez had a deep trust and belief in God. There’s no mention of him having any special ability or talent. He was just a common man with an uncommon faith. 

There is something in life that is more important than ability and talent: faith. I know a lot of very talented people who are sitting on the sidelines while people who have faith are scoring the goals. Faith is believing God will work through you and telling him you want him to use you.

How do you break out of mediocrity? Like Jabez, you get a great ambition and a growing faith—and depend on God to do what seems impossible. 

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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