Reputation

Reputation. Someone’s reputation is a valuable thing. It is also a very delicate possession. It takes years to develop your reputation and seconds to kill it. Your reputation also varies from person to person based on events that happen between the two of you. You may have a stellar reputation with one person only to find that your reputation with someone else is the exact opposite.

As Christians, our reputation is extremely important. We are sometimes the reason why unbelievers feel they don’t need Christ. If we call ourselves Christians but live our lives the same way the world lives, then why would they need a Savior?  We are the reason that people don’t come church because they feel the church is filled with “hypocrites”. Sometimes we are!  We say one thing and do the opposite. That is not drawing unbelievers to Christ.

Believe me, I’m talking to myself here too. This all goes through my heart before it ever reaches your eyes. I have to ask myself often if my reputation matches up with what my mouth claims to be. To be honest, it hasn’t always been so. I’ve done many things to ruin my reputation as a Christian. It’s a daily struggle to make sure I am walking with Christ. I’m sure you feel the same way as well. Our reputation is important. How people see us is important too, not for our egos, but for our witness of Christ.

We can’t be like the church in Sardis though, “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. - Revelation 3:1. What we can’t do is be fake. We must be real and we must be genuine or people will see right through us. That’s where they feel we are “hypocrites” which means to wear a mask.

Have a great day and God bless.