Jabez Blessed Beyond Belief Series

B. It’s His Plan You have what’s Best

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

Think about that verse for a minute. God said this to His people while they are in captivity after the most horrendous of sins blatant disobedience, gross immorality, and even child sacrifice. And yet God is saying you are my people and I love you. Didn’t Jesus promise us He would never leave us or forsake us? Even until the end of the age?

Doesn’t the Bible ask us in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (NKJ) and doesn’t it go on to say there in v.38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NKJ) Think about it nothing that has happened or will happen will separate you from God’s love.

We have been in our house now nearly two months. There are some things that I built that I know needs fixing, plaster job here and there, closet doors not yet completed, a little of this and a lot of that. YET I have taken up residence in my home. It’s mine and I have the payments to prove it. It’s the same thing with Jesus.

There are things in our lives that need work, attitudes, prejudices, tempers, things we say, a little of this and a lot of that and YET…He has chosen to take up residence in our lives. The Bible says, in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV) He knows the real you and yet loves you anyway.

I. Believe God wants to bless you

II. Believe You Can Make a Difference

Everything begins by how we view God. If our view is legalistic then we will see nothing but God’s justice and even view His discipline as punishment. If we never believe that God is in our corner then we will never grasp that we can make a difference for Him.

The problem is that our pulpits today either chain God’s people to legalism, or they preach health, wealth and hankies.

This prayer isn’t about either one. This prayer means that I choose to believe that God loves me, wants what is best for me, and I have to align myself with His plan for my life.

See Our text is right in the middle of the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles. In these nine chapters is so an so begat so and so. This list is all the men of Israel starting with Adam to about 1056 B.C. covering around 3,000 years. But nestled right in the middle is Jabez. The author stops, puts his pen in his mouth and for some reason thinks of Jabez.

He’s not Abraham, Joseph, Moses, or David, but for some reason this guy stood out. The reasons was his character was more honorable then his Jewish brothers. **v.9** the word honorable