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 evil, that it not be to my sorrow! God granted him that which he requested.
Men will bless you when you do good in life. They will praise the man who is successful in business. Nothing succeeds like success. Nothing receives the approval of the general public as much as a man’s prosperity. Sadly! they do not weigh men’s actions in the balances of God’s Word, but on quite different scales. You will find those around you who will commend you if you are prosperous; or like Job’s friends, condemn you if you suffer adversity. Perhaps there may be some feature about their blessings that may please you, because you feel you deserve them. They commend you for your patriotism: you have been a patriot. They commend you for your generosity: you know you have been self-sacrificing. But in the end, what is there in the opinion of man? At a trial, the opinion of the policeman who stands in the court, or of the spectators who sit in the courthouse, amounts to nothing. The man who is being tried feels that the only thing that is of importance at all will be the verdict of the jury, and the sentence of the judge. So no matter what we do, it really is a small thing whether others praise or criticize us. Their blessings are not of any great value. But, “Oh, that God would bless us,” that He would say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Commend us for our feeble service, that through His grace, our heart has provided. That will indeed be a true blessing to us.
