Some people are household names in their generation. George Whitefield, the famous British evangelist  was probably the most famous celebrity of the 18th century (even more so than George Washington).

Billy Graham is arguably the most well-known and respected personality of the 20th century because of his evangelistic ministry that spanned the globe. Mother Theresa is probably the 20th century's most famous woman.

These three all possessed two similar traits that were secrets to their earthly success.

Do you know who was the most famous person of the in-between century--the 19th century (1800-1900)?

It was David Livingstone, the pioneer missionary and explorer of the African continent. People were fascinated by his books, his courage, his adventures, and his ministry on a continent that had been shrouded in mystery and darkness for centuries.

David Livingstone also possessed two important traits. In fact, in his generation he made them famous by making them the watchword of his life. Before we discuss these two qualities, let's take a brief look at the remarkable life of David Livingstone.

David Livingstone, “the apostle of Africa”  was born in Blamttyre, Scotland on March 19, 1813. Strongly devoted to Christ, in 1838 he applied to the London Missions Society to serve in China but was turned down because the opium wars had closed the country.

He later met Robert Moffatt, a pioneer missionary in southern Africa, who inspired him to join his efforts  on the Dark Continent.  He was ordained as a missionary in 1840 and set sail for South Africa, arriving in early 1841. He worked among the Bakwain people for a number of years, married Mary Moffatt, the eldest daughter of Robert Moffat, and was responsible for the conversion of  Sechele, the chief of the  tribe, who sustained a long ministry to his own people.
 
J. H. Worchester quotes Livingstone during these early years: “The work of God goes on here notwithstanding all our infirmities. Souls are gathered in continually and sometimes from among those you would have never expected to see turning to the Lord. Twenty-four were added to the church last month, and there are several inquirers.”

In 1852, Livingstone sent his family back to England and began the first of three major expeditions to explore and evangelize the African interior.  In 1855 he crossed the entire continent—never before accomplished by a European—and received a gold medal from the London Geographical Society.  Livingstone then returned to his family in England and wrote his notable Missionary Travels in 1857 that made him famous and inspired hundreds of eager missionaries to go to the African continent in the coming decades.

Livingstone made a triumphant return to Africa in 1858 with his wife and eldest son on the “Ma Robert” steamer to explore the Zambesi River. The trip ended in disappointment when it was found that the Zambesi was not fully navigatible—with Livingstone’s family returning to England. Livingstone persevered on--exploring and sharing Christ in Central Africa, leading to his authoring another popular book, The Zambesi and Its Tributaries, which was critical of the Muslim slave trade in the region. He remarked: “Cannot the love of Christ carry the missionary where the slave trade carries the trader?”
  
Further travels attempting to locate the headwaters of the Nile River and discovering Lake Tanganyika in 1867 led to his final book entitled Last Journals. The elder Livingstone suffered many illnesses and scrapes with death during his final expeditions. On November 10, 1871 he shared the now-famous rendezvous with Henry M. Stanley who had been sent by the New York Herald to find him in the depths of Africa. Stanley was a self-professed atheist who later converted to Christ because of Livingstone’s example. Upon finding the famous missionary explorer, Stanley uttered the immortal words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”
 
Two years later, sick and pushing onward, David Livingstone was found dead-- praying on his knees for his beloved Africa in a hut on April 29, 1873. His physical heart was fittingly buried in African soil, but his body was eventually brought back to England where one of Britain’s most beloved sons was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey. Upon hearing of the death of the legendary explorer, Florence Nightingale wrote to her sorrowing daughter in a letter, “God has taken away the greatest man of his generation, for Dr. Livingstone stood alone.”

Worchester explains: “As a missionary explorer, he stood alone, travelling 29,000 miles in Africa, adding to the known portion of the globe about a million square miles…He was the first European to traverse the entire length of Lake Tanganyika…He greatly increased the knowledge of the geography, fauna and flora of the interior, yet never lost sight of the great objects of his life, the putting down of the slave trade, and the evangelization of Africa.”

Livingstone had exposed the breadth and beauty of the African continent for others to evangelize and disciple.  As a missionary, he was a forerunner, a trailblazer “opening the country for Christianity to enter in.” 

So what was the secret of this man's remarkable and notable life?

It's very simple--as most truths tend to be. David Livingstone made this simple confession the watchword of his life:

"Fear God and work hard."

David Livingstone understood that a successful life begins with a wise choice: Fearing and respecting God--giving Him alone the rightful center place in his life. The Bible rightly teaches that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7). When the Eternal God is properly feared and honored, then loving trust and relationship is born that not only brings blessings in this life, but also eternal life in the one to come.

Fearing God is the secret to eternal success.

David Livingstone also knew that working hard was also an essential characteristic of a wise and fruitful life. He knew the power of diligence, self-control, wise use of time, bravery, courage and determination. He knew that life contained failures--plenty of them. But the greatest failure of all was not getting up and working harder to not make the same mistakes again. In our world today, the people who work hard, have faith, and don't get discouraged, are those who make their mark.

Hard work is the secret of earthly success (no matter how long the life or how large the measure of accomplishment).

David Livingstone made these two qualities the motto of his life. He feared God and worked hard.

If you do the same, success will be yours--both in this life and also in the next.