“THE SIGNIFICANT ONES”
In the early training of children concerning God, facts are given them for the purpose of learning. The hope would be that with each succeeding year of the child’s life those facts would increase and the child would develop faith in God. I can remember my own training as my mother would give me questions to answer over and over again each night before bed. One such fact was that the oldest man who had ever lived was Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old (Genesis 5:27).
I have heard some speak about this man that there was nothing significant about him, other than the fact that he lived to be 969 years old. I would like to challenge that kind of thinking for just a moment. In order to do so may I reflect on what each of us know by looking at our own lives. History is filled with accounts of those who have killed their own children in following some false god. Likewise, some have killed their children because of some false thinking which they allowed to grow in their minds. Most individuals who have some kind of moral base love their children and would never do anything to harm them.
Here is what Moses records about Methuselah. He begat sons and daughters (Genesis 5:26). What are their names? We are not told the names of all of his sons and daughters. Neither are we told about their accomplishments. Then is the only significant thing about Methuselah, his age at death? Moses tells us about one of his children. That child was Lamech. Lamech, in time, began his own family and had a child whom he named, Noah (Genesis 5:29). It is not that the other children of Methuselah were not important to their father but this grandson would find grace in the eyes of the Lord and be used by God in an effort to save a dying world (Genesis 6:8).
In this regard, Lamech was a significant child in the overall plan of God as God cared for the world of humanity. Without Methuselah, there would be no Lamech nor would there have been a Noah. All of us learn from those with whom we come in contact with in our daily journeys. There may be good and those that are not good. If we are wise, we learn to see the actions of individuals and pass judgment on those actions. If there are things we can emulate, then we do. If there are things we need to avoid, then wisdom demands that we avoid the bad things we see in others.
What kind of influence was Noah’s grandfather, Methuselah? Again the Biblical record does not record such for us. All we are shown is the actions of the grandson and the right choices that he made. We just do not know anything about his life other than his age at death and his lineage through Lamech. Who are the significant ones in your life? Could it be a grandparent, a parent or a child, some teacher or person who impacted your life for good? Let us ask the question in this way. Are you a significant one to the God of heaven?
Some individuals live their entire life seeking for greatness in one form or another. This pursuit of greatness will often lead immature hearts away from God because they become victimized by the pride of life (I John 2:15,16). Those who are the significant ones to God are those who rising from the waters of baptism learn how to seek those things that are above (Colossians 3:1,2). Their mind is not set on becoming brethren who are “somewhat”. Instead the desire is to develop a love for God that will cause them to seek how they can serve God.
Brethren, the truth is always with us. James declares that the prayers of a righteous man avail or accomplishes much (James 5:16). In a time when the world is in so much turmoil how much we need the prayers of righteous people everywhere bringing their petitions to God. When the brotherhood is faced with so much liberalism and hypocrisy among brethren, how much the church needs the prayers of those who are righteous by choice.
In the New Year before us, may each of us strive to be significant to God by the lives we live for His glory (Ephesians 3:21).