Last week, I brought up a few aspects of Count Zinzendorf’s life that I think made him one of the extraordinary Christians of the church age. We will continue surveying other great Christian lives, but first I want to review why studying them can reap benefits beyond mere inspiration.
II Kings 13 tells the remarkable story about a man being buried next to the prophet Elisha’s grave. When this man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, he came back to life! Power and life can be passed to us by touching the anointed ones who have gone before us. What made their lives great can be imparted, and if a life we cover especially touches you, I encourage you to go deeper through your own research.
The most valuable jewels are found in dirt. Dirt is common—it is everywhere. Who can distinguish the treasures from the ordinary? In Jeremiah 15:19, the Lord said those who can distinguish the precious from the worthless would be His spokesmen. I interpreted this to mean being able to discern the great treasure in the most common people, and to draw it out. Every life is precious. Do we see the treasure, or potential treasure, in others? Do we see it in ourselves? Any one of us could live as one of the greatest Christian lives. Why not you?
As I have shared previously, in my scriptural study of the great heroes of faith, I could only find four who were the full-time ministry types. These were the Levites. The rest were everyday people who rose up to do the uncommon. They were merchants, soldiers, administrators, and farmers. Some were from the poorest class, and others were even outcasts and lepers. If you feel that you are just an ordinary person with a common life, then you are an excellent candidate to live an extraordinary life that impacts others in a remarkable way.
The little teenage girl, Anne Frank, could not foresee that her diary would become one of the bestselling books of all time, impacting her own generation and those after her. The reason we are going to cover notable Christian lives is because they inspire us to greatness. My prayer is that you are one of these greats.
Let us end this week’s word with a note about identity. You are here because your parents came together. When they did, several hundred million sperm began a race in which only one could win. The one that won this incredible race to fertilize the egg is you. You began life by winning a race against the equivalent of the populations of the U.S. and Canada. You are here because you are an uncommon winner. Losing is not your nature, and you can yet win the greatest race of all—the race for the high calling of God in Christ. Possibly the greatest Christian lives of all are yet to be lived. Why cannot you be one of them?
