Jabez prayed to the God of Israel and said, “I pray that you would bless me and give me more land! Be near me and don’t let anyone hurt me! Then I will not have any pain.” God gave Jabez what he asked for.
I said, “What good is it if I die and go down to the grave? The dead just lie in the dirt. They cannot praise you. They cannot tell anyone how faithful you are.
Now, a prize is waiting for me—the crown that will show I am right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give it to me on that Day. Yes, he will give it to me and to everyone else who is eagerly looking forward to his coming.
All the good people are gone, and no one even noticed. The loyal followers were gathered up, but no one knows why. The reason they were gathered up is that trouble is coming.
He was the Angel who saved me from all my troubles. And I pray that he will bless these boys. Now they will have my name and the name of our ancestors, Abraham and Isaac. I pray that they will grow to become great families and nations on earth.”
Every time you find work to do, do it the best you can. In the grave there is no work. There is no thinking, no knowledge, and there is no wisdom. And we are all going to the place of death.