We live in a day when people want to be famous, a celebrity. So, people walk around with their cell phones taking selfies and videos, hoping that when they post them on social media, they will go viral. Success is measured by people knowing our name even if it is just for fifteen minutes. This is a far cry from the 18thCentury reformer, Count Zinzendorf who said, “Preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten.”
Most of us will go through life with very few people remembering our name. That should be enough for us. Our life is not to be lived for our glory but God’s. There is a man in Scripture that most people do not make much over. He appears as a secondary character in the life of Saul of Tarsus. His name was Ananias and he lived in Damascus. His contribution to the Kingdom of God are summed up in eight verses of scripture in one chapter in Acts and he is mentioned in one verse in another.
As Paul recounts his testimony, he mentions Ananias in Acts 22:12 where he says, Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well-spoken of by all the Jews who lived there. Ananias was a man of faith who loved the Word of God, had a great reputation with people in the community, he prayed and was obedient. God used him to touch Paul. Then, he went back to anonymity. We do not know what else Ananias did, but that does not matter. All that matters is that God was glorified in his life.
Even though Ananias’ story is incidental to Paul’s, we can learn much from him. If we are faithful to the Word of God and prayer. If we live a life that is of good report and if we are obedient to God, He will use us in His kingdom, even if no one knows our name.
For Further Study Read Acts 9:10-18 and Hebrews 11:35-40
