Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Matt. 20:27.

Great exploits in the world are no guarantee of lasting fame. Do you remember the name of the man who made the first flight in an airplane across the English Channel? At the time it was a world-shattering record. Few remember him now. He was a Frenchman named Bleriot.

Do you know the name of the rich young ruler who came to Christ? Do you know the name of the leader of the charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War? Scarcely one of that cavalry regiment is known. One person is remembered from that war: Florence Nightingale.

In Africa, India, China, who are the men with lasting fame? Not those who enslaved the black man. Not those who exploited the nations to gain wealth and power. But men like David Livingstone and Stanley, Hudson Taylor of China, William Carey of India—these are the unforgettable heroes.

If you wish everlasting fame, glory, and honor, the best way to get it is in the service of God. The fundamental principle is this: it is most surely obtained by loving deeds and not by great exploits.

Which would you rather be called today—a Pharisee or a Samaritan? In his day the respected and respectable Pharisee looked upon the other as "a dog of a Samaritan" until the event on the Jericho Road when the Samaritan did what the Pharisee refused to do—go to the help of a stricken man. Whom would you want to emulate? Whose record would you want as yours in the books of heaven? Jesus "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister" (Matt. 20:28). He left heaven and the throne of God because people mattered more to Him than anything else. The great men of the Bible are called "servants" of the living God. That was their fame.

If the people around us are no better for our having lived, for our influence, then they are poorer for our having been here. Every worthwhile life is one of unselfish service, of inspiration to others. God made every living thing in the world that way. The trees, the blossoms, the flowers, add sweetness to life. Live to love and to serve. You shall find every day happier than you can imagine.