One day I was jogging in the forest near my house when a question popped into my mind: What about John Spurgeon?
I admit, not many people are losing sleep over that question, but I had been reading the autobiography of the famous British preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I was asking the Lord to bless my ministry like his. And then that question hit me, and I began thinking about John Spurgeon.
Ever heard of him? Until my recent reading, I never had. He was the father of Charles. He was himself a pastor and the son of a pastor. Yet if his son had not achieved such fame as a preacher, John Spurgeon would have served the Lord faithfully, gone to his grave, and we never would have heard of him.
Hundreds of pastors like him have walked with God, shepherded his flock for a lifetime, and gone to their reward without any notice in the sight of the world. As I jogged, I thought, Would I be willing to serve God faithfully and raise up my children to serve him, even if I never achieved any recognition? Even if no one but my own small congregation knew my name?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized, Yes! That's really what I want: to be faithful to the Lord in my personal walk, in my family, and in my shepherding of God's flock.
The Lord never says, "Well done, good and famous servant", but he does say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
If God makes me as famous as Charles Spurgeon, that's his business. My business is to be as faithful as John Spurgeon.
