“Men of good reputation . . whom we may appoint over this business.” Acts 6:3 NKJV
“Your reputation is the record of what you have been and done, and opens or closes doors.”
My thoughts today are about “a good reputation.”
Your reputation is what people report about you to others. A good reputation is earned through time and practiced consistency, but can be somewhat fragile, damaged or lost by careless words or actions. You want to value your reputation highly and guard it well. “Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1 NLT. Reputation is what others think to be true of you, whether correctly or not.
That brings you to the other side of the matter; a bad reputation comes quicker and easier than you would imagine, and once given to you, takes a long time and much work to repair it. Better to protect a reputation than to have to redeem one.
Your reputation is the assumed record of what you have been and done, either opening or closing doors to your future. It could be as simple as having a history of being late, or as significant as being thought to lack honesty and character. Reliability is important to others.
Here are the facts as the Bible reports them: “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones . . if you are untrustworthy . . who will trust you?” Luke 16:10-12 NLT. That’s reputation! Opportunities and responsibilities are often directly linked to the reputation you have gained, justly or unjustly. Others look for “men of good reputation . . to appoint over this business.” How you take care of others’ regard for you now may well determine much of your future success. Don’t sell a moment of your future for a season of your life now. That would be shortsighted.
Choose friendships carefully. Others shape more of your life than you may realize. Your life is soft clay put into the hands of others; be deliberate about who you give the power to influence your conduct, for that ultimately sets your character, and that establishes your reputation. “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” 1 Corinthians 13:33-34 NIV. Your reputation is not only what you are known to believe and do, but also the reputation of how your friends occupy and amuse themselves. Young or old, you are judged by the company you keep.
“Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God. But everyone speaks highly of Demetrius . . we ourselves can say the same for him, and you know we speak the truth.” 3 John 11-12 NLT. John’s reputation of truthfulness built confidence in what he reported of Demetrius. You want it to be true of you as it was of Demetrius – “everyone speaks highly of him.”
A last word of advice: “Don’t (cause) anyone to look down on you . . but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 NIV. That’s what I believe about you; that’s what I pray for you. God devotes an entire chapter of the Bible to the reputations of men and women who lived for God faithfully, of whom it was written, “Wherefore God was not ashamed to be called their God.” See Hebrews 11. I don’t want my God to ever have cause to be ashamed of me, or you.
My prayer for you today is that your reputation is with honor and without reproach.