At the top of this, I asked you several questions you probably couldn’t answer. I’d like to ask two more questions that no one but you can answer.
Would you rather be a person of significance or a person of renown? Think carefully. The answer to that question will shape your entire future, including the decisions you make, the manner in which you relate to others, even how you go about fulfilling the roles God has assigned you. Making a positive difference is your responsibility. God will look to issues of credit or fame.
Which is more important to you: the quality of your impact on the world or the size of it? Don’t be too quick! That’s a probing question that demands some attention. Let’s face it: most of us are conditioned by the world to think we can have both when, in reality, you have only one of them. You already know which one it is.
In the chapters that follow, we’ll recall the lives of several ancient people. Some of the fascinating lives I have chosen to highlight are typically forgotten and ignored. A few are familiar personalities in the Old Testament, but certain episodes from their lives need to be revisited. The lessons they teach need to be learned by some and relearned by others. Most of these people had a positive impact on the world and the people around them, but a few left tragic legacies in their wake. As we examine each one, we’ll try to discover biblical principles and practical applications for living so that we can be what we are in God’s estimation . . . people of significance.

Charles R. Swindoll, Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives: Rediscovering Some Old Testament Characters (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 13–14.