Dear friends!
A subject that is very appreciated among those who serve God: reputation!
The idea is not to cite a list of things that "should" or "should not" do, but they make you think a little about the importance of not only looking at appearances, but the internal being of the person.
The value of a Church that loves God is not in quantity, but in the quality of its members! The essence of being, his sensitivity to human pain, his charisma towards the rejected, the sincerity in his words!
In many cases, you will find very subtle people to disguise things and this is dangerous, when they make a habit of their bad attitudes, because God weighs hearts and can easily find falsehood.
Because men can see the appearance, but the Lord sees beyond the appearance, the heart.
When I study something, I like to have the root of words (etymology), and in reputation I found the following: "it comes from Latin and brings the idea of consideration, reflection, estimation." Reputation is also related to the concept", that is, understanding," mentally taking ", understanding In the dictionary, reputation means" having a concept (good or bad) of the society in which we live, has a name"
Bringing to virtual reality, we can say that reputation is what you show or appear to be.
Does your reputation match what you are?
The Word teaches us about reputation. Proverbs is a book that brings a series of tips for the lives of Christians "
the reputation is worth more than the many riches ".
"Let love and fidelity never forsake him: fasten them around his neck, write them on the tablet of his heart, then you will have the favor of God and of men, and a good reputation" (Proverbs 3.3-4).
Note that the key is to load love and fidelity and to engrave those values in the heart to obtain a good reputation! In the Kingdom of God, the order of the factors changes the product!
When we prioritize reputation (appearance), instead of the heart (inner man), you run the risk of trying to please men more than God.
The Bible warns us that "more must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
As an Uncle says: The Pharisees obeyed men rather than God.
An example of this is the Pharisees, who even having a "good reputation", pretending much "spirituality", his heart was not right. See what Jesus said:
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like fallen tombs: beautiful on the outside, but inside they are full of bones and all kinds of filth, so you are: on the outside they seem righteous to the people, but inside they are full of hypocrisy and wickedness (Matthew 23.27-28).
As well as the trees that are known for the fruits, we have to show to the world the life of God that exists in us, from the inside out!
We need instead to have a good reputation away from all kinds of evil (I Thessalonians 5:22) and be careful that our behaviors are not such stumbling blocks in the lives of our brothers.
Dear community! We must have the Word in our hearts, practice day after day and so we will build and keep built, a true reputation worthy of a child of God!
To fight in the crusade for Freedom, we must first be free, free in the spirit of Christ! Transparent and reflecting Jesus Christ and his great sincere love for people!
