REPUTATION OR CHARACTER?

REPUTATION OR CHARACTER?

 Many people are more concerned with reputation than with character.  It has been said that character is who you are in the dark, out of view of others you wish to influence or impress.  Reputation is more about who others ‘think’ you are; character is all about who God ‘knows’ you are.

 Warren Wiersbe aptly describes the key components of Christian character in his book, “The Integrity Crisis,” especially noting how genuine character leads one to looking within for honest self-examination.  Ask yourself this question: ‘Am I more focused on evaluating others, or myself?’

 Contemporary society is overly obsessed with the actions of others, and we are prone to displays of outrage and anger at what we observe.  Just watch cable news (as I often do), and you’ll be inundated with emotionally charged talking-heads, characteristically overwrought over one subject or another.

 But Wiersbe writes, “What we need today is not anger but anguish, the kind of anguish that Moses displayed when he broke the two tablets of the law and then climbed the mountain to intercede for his people, or that Jesus displayed when He cleansed the temple and then wept over the city.  The difference between anger and anguish is a broken heart.  It's easy to get angry, especially at somebody else’s sins; but it’s not easy to look at sin, our own included, and weep over it.”

 Christlike character results from a broken heart; it’s always the product of repentance.  According to the Apostle Paul, “godly sorrow produces repentance,” which causes a 180-degree turnabout in attitudes and actions. (II Corinthians 7:10)  Perhaps, we should focus less on personal indignation and anger, and more on sustaining a strong anguish over what we (and our society) have become.  The true test of whether any individual is truly born again is one’s typical response to shortcomings and sins.  Remember: God’s people are biblically likened to sheep. (Psalm 23 – John 10:27)  Although pigs love to wallow in mudholes, sheep bemoan filthy situations.  If we should fall into sin, we have a sure and steadfast remedy.  Be sure to summon and deploy your “Advocate” as needed. (I John 2:1)  

 Character is built over time via incremental steps that lead to the spiritual progress of faith pilgrims.  Prayerfully consider this sage saying: ‘Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.’  Friend, what seeds are you sowing and what is your expected harvest?

 Final Thought: You must stop being damaged and dominated by the conjecture and opinion of others.  That is merely a reputation issue.  The character issue is what GOD ‘knows’ about you, and it’s the only matter that carries significant weight in time and eternity.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!