2 Corinthians 10:13-16 is a passage that has impacted me. Paul shares, “Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of the work God has given us.”
This is a “WOW” scripture for me. I consider Paul one of the greatest Christians who has ever walked the earth, a man full of spiritual anointing and authority. I have assumed he could do anything and everything he wanted to do for God with unlimited boundaries. He has a mission from God and took Christianity across the Roman Empire with anointing and authority. Why would he say, “Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of the work God has given us?”
I also consider how many times I hear people boasting about God “expanding their territories.” Yet, Paul said that his goal was to “stay within the boundaries of the work God has given us.”
There is too much focus on “expanding my territory” or “expanding my borders.” This is not always led by the Spirit of God who called you and established your boundaries of faithfulness.
Why, then, do so many leaders focus on – and boast about – God expanding their territories? I believe this is fed more by:
- Pride
- Ego
- “Keeping up with the ministry Jones’s”
- Making a name for myself.
… than being led by the Spirit of God.
And there are dangers in this. Here are just a few:
- You are always in competition with other ministries.
- Which means, you are always striving and you never have true peace.
- You are working in the flesh, and the fruit and impact of your ministry will only go as far as your talents and gifts take them.
- This will potentially lead you into seeking your own glory, rather than His alone!
Don’t seek expansion merely for the sake of expansion; And don’t seek expansion for carnal reasons.
James 3:16 – “For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind”
Get your eyes off of others. Be obedient to – and satisfied with – the glorious work God has uniquely called you to accomplish for His glory!
God has called us all to clearly defined plans. Each plan has clearly defined boundaries for us to work within, to keep us focused and “on point” with God’s purposes in us and through us.
Think about this profound truth: Great provision and blessings lie within the boundaries God has given us.
Yes, God’s provision and blessing lie within the boundaries God has given us!
Consider these blessings that are a part of our lives and ministries when we work within the boundaries God has given us:
- Divine Authority to do the work – (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)
- Protection – “No weapon formed against you will prosper.” … “The gates of hell will not prevail…” (Romans 8:38-39; Matthew 16:18)
- Divine Favor – Favor that comes from the grace and purpose of God
- Anointing – Supernatural empowerment for the task
- Fruitfulness – Not just momentary, but fruit that remains and multiplies! (John 15:16)
- His Divine Presence with us – which breaks every yoke, defeats every foe, and gives us victory in every circumstance. (Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 139:9-16)
- Peace, Joy and Fulfillment – The contentment and satisfaction knowing “I am accomplishing God’s plan for my life!” (2 Corinthians 3:2-6; 2 Corinthians 2:14)
- The ability to cease striving and know that He is God, for we are working within the divinely-ordained plans God has given us, (Psalm 46:10)
These are the benefits of doing like Paul the Apostle said, “Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of the work God has given us.”
Will God ever expand my boundaries?
In 2 Corinthians 10:15-16, Paul says, “We hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended. Then we will be able to go and preach the Good News in other places far beyond you, where no one else is working” (2 Corinthians 10:15- 16).
Biblical expansion is about one thing and one thing only: Bringing the Good News to those who have not heard.
If we do not work within or be faithful to the boundaries God has given us, the mission to reach the world will never be accomplished.
God made the design. We have an important piece of the puzzle. We don’t have the next guy’s piece of the puzzle. If we are not obedient to our piece of the puzzle, the mission will never be complete. But if we all work withing the boundaries God has given to each one of us, we will turn this world upside down for Jesus Christ!
Each of us must be faithful in our appointed area of ministry. That is all God is asking for.
Only when the work is completed and God has raised up servant-leaders to lead the work into greater fruitfulness after us will God extend your boundaries to “preach the Good News … where no one else is working” (2 Corinthians 10:16). Then the whole earth will be reached for Christ.
May your words be the same as Paul:
“Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us” (2 Corinthians 10:13).
Let’s pray:
Father, help us to cast aside foolish ambitions and selfish pride that desires greatness in the eyes of man and that wants to boast of our accomplishments.
Instead, lead us by Your Holy Spirit to know Your will and do it with all our passion and might within the boundaries You have given us. Help us to do it for You and for Your glory alone.
And when all is accomplished, may we say as Jesus instructed us in Luke 17:10, “We have only done what we ought to have done.”
Amen.
We see how God has done this in our lives. We labored for many years in the South Bronx and Detroit, and God did so many great things. But the time came when God led us to “another place far beyond us, where no one else was working” like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:16.
As those ministries continue, God has led us to “other places far beyond you, where no one else is working.” We have been told repeatedly by people and leaders in the place we are now serving that we are the first they know of in decades to work in these areas. We are so humbled by all that God is doing. We strive to be faithful to His call to bring hope to those who have never heard and to pursue renewal that will spread across this region.
Other opportunities have come to us. In the last year, we have had appeals from countries with multitudes of unreached, with suffering poor, and even with children orphaned because of civil war and internal crisis. All of these are important and ripe harvest fields with people that need hope, but “Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us.”
When we complete this task, God will lead us to “other places far beyond [us], where no one else is working.”
How about you? Are you content to be like Paul and work within the boundaries God has given you? Do you want the many divine blessings from working faithfully within those boundaries to accomplish God’s calling for you?
May our words be the same as Paul: “Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us.”
And may God receive ALL the glory for all that is accomplished in God’s plan for us.
Know Your Boundaries!
2 Corinthians 10:13 “Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us.” (Life Application NLT)
“Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of the work God has given us.” (NLT)
I. Know Your Boundaries
God has called you to a clearly defined plan. This plan has clearly defined boundaries for you to work within, to keep “on point” (on focus) and to guide you.
II. Great provision and blessing lies within the boundaries God has given you!
- Authority – Matthew 28:18-20
- Protection Romans 8:38-39; Matthew 16:18
- Favor – Divine favor opens door to glorify God and accomplish His purposes
- Anointing – supernatural empowerment for the task
- Fruitfulness – Fruit the remains: John 15:16
- Presence – His divine presence with us: Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 139:9-16
- Peace, Joy and Fulfillment – Contentment and satisfaction knowing “I am accomplishing God’s plan for my life!” 2 Corinthians 3:2-6; 2 Corinthians 2:14
- The ability to cease striving and know that He is God, for we are working within the boundaries God has given us – Psalm 46:10
III. Be content within your boundaries.
There is too much focus on “expanding my territory” or “expanding my borders.” This is fed by:
- Selfish pride
- Ego
- “Keeping up with the ministry Jones’s”
- Making a name for myself.
This is not led by the Spirit of God who called you and established your boundaries of faithfulness.
Don’t seek expansion for carnal reasons; Don’t seek expansion merely for the sake of expansion.
James 3:16 – “For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind”
Get your eyes off of others and be obedient to – and satisfied with – the glorious work God has called you to accomplish for His glory!
IV. Biblical expansion
“We hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended. Then we will be able to go and preach the Good News in places far beyond you, where no one else is working.” – 2 Corinthians 10:15-16
1) Biblical expansion is about one thing only: Bringing the Good News to those who have not heard.
2) If we do not work within or be faithful to the boundaries God has given us, the mission to reach the world will be impeded.
Each of us must be faithful in our appointed area of ministry. That is all God is asking for.
3) Only when the work is completed and God has raised up servant-leaders to lead the work into greater fruitfulness after us will God extend your boundaries to “preach the Good News … where no one else is working” (2 Corinthians 2:16).
“Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us.” – 2 Corinthians 10:13
2 Corinthians 10:13-16 is a passage that has impacted me. Paul shares, Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of the work God has given us.” This is a “WOW” scripture for me. I consider Paul one of the greatest Christians who has ever walked the earth, a man full of spiritual anointing and authority. It is also a “WOW” scripture because of how many times I hear people boasting about God “expanding their territories.” Yet, Paul said that he worked within boundaries.
I began to dwell upon how God has called us all to clearly defined plans. Each plan has clearly defined boundaries for us to work within, to keep us focused on “on point” with God’s purposes for us.
I also began to dwell on the great provision and blessing lies within the boundaries God has given us: authority to do the work, protection, favor, anointing for the task, fruitfulness, His divine presence, peace, fulfillment, and the ability to cease striving and know that He is God, for we are working within the plan God has given us.
Two verses later, Paul says more: “We hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended. Then we will be able to go and preach the Good News in other places far beyond you, where no one else is working” (2 Corinthians 10:15-16).
We see how God has done this in our lives. We labored for many years in the South Bronx and Detroit, and God did so many great things. We rejoice in the leaders God continues to raise up at Harvest in the Bronx for that work to continue forward, we believe, with even greater effectiveness in the future. We continue to see the impact that Hope for the City made in Detroit.
As those ministries continue, God has led us to “other places far beyond you, where no one else is working.” We have been told repeatedly by pastors and leaders in Vietnam that we are the first they know of in decades to work in the areas we are working. We are so humbled by all that God is doing. We strive to be faithful to His call to bring hope to those who have never heard and to pursue revival that will spread across this region of Vietnam.
To hear the video devotional on this subject, click here
