To Be Famous

"Fame and fortune "have been deified and pursued and blown so far out of proportion that most godly persons have completely turned their backs on them. I’ve heard stuff of that nature be slandered as "selfish ambition" and something to be avoided at all cost. I’ve heard people talk about how God has provided for their needs (but not their wants) and I’ve heard all about contentment and humility.

And in spite of all that, I want to talk a little about fame and fortune, because our ability to be a blessing to others is generally linked to the degree of our fame and fortune. We’ve probably all heard of Abraham’s blessing, but consider the order in which the Lord speaks. He starts by saying, "I will bless you." I am not sure that could possibly be interpreted as anything other than God’s promise of good things and a good life—an enviable life. Then He says, "I will make your name great." Come on, folks, what He said was that He would make Abraham famous. That’s what it means to have a great name: it means people know who you are. A lot of people know who you are. Then comes the clincher: "And you will be a blessing."

Fame and fortune are not a suitable pursuit. Money has wings, and it has a really bad habit of flying away. Not a good thing to chase after. Fame? Well, we’ve all seen a lot of what comes with fame. There is good press and there is bad press, and some folks can’t take it—especially if they were chasing after the good press to begin with. Aside from that, popularity never lasts forever. Today’s hero is often tomorrow’s bum. So it goes. You can’t keep everyone happy all the time.

But to say that fame and fortune are not a good goal is not the same as saying they are a bad thing. The whole difference is if you are chasing them, or if they are chasing you. Notice that God said, "I will bless you; I will make you famous." He said something similar to King David, many years later. To that shepherd boy, the least in his father’s house, the Lord said, "I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth. "That is what I call being famous. God said He would do it, and He did it. And when fame and fortune are things the Lord wants to give you, there is always one purpose: "You will be a blessing." Take a look around. Who are the people who have been the greatest blessing, overall? They are people who are either famous or wealthy or both. There is nothing innately wrong with being famous or wealthy.

If God has called you to a place in life where only ten people will ever know your name, do it well. If He’s given you fame, use it well. That’s the bottom line.

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