Reputation

reputation – 1a:  overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general 2:  a place in public esteem or regard:  good name

Notice how definition 1a is based on character, but the second doesn’t necessitate a basis of character.  (Definition 1b, I did not include because it refers to some characteristic or ability, which biblical scripture doesn’t site in regard to an individual’s reputation.)

David declared that he’ll praise God forever for what He’s done; in His name he’ll hope, for His name is good.  David vowed to praise God in the presence of the saints. (Ps 52:9)  He clearly views God in a favorable way, as many of us do.  But if at any point things didn’t go as well as David thought they should, and he failed to appropriately judge God’s character or recognize His overall quality, would that mean that God ceases to have that character or those qualities?  Can David’s attitude, or our attitude, towards God -or anyone else- put their reputation in jeopardy?

The author of Ecclesiastes puts the previous book of Proverb’s wisdom to work to examine the human experience.  Or another way to put it is, the wise sayings of Proverbs is what we should conform to our thoughts.  But Ecclesiastes is, kind of, what happens when worldly society gets a hold of godly wisdom.  Proverbs 3:3-4 tells us that if we make love and faithfulness a part of who we are -our character- we’ll win favor and a good name in the sight of God and (then) man.  But in Ecclesiastes 10:1, the fragility of reputation (or good name) is illustrated by the comparison between dead flies ruining a perfume or ointment, and a few mistakes ruining an individual’s reputation of wisdom and honor.  Unless we view the two scriptures as contradictory, let me point out that the sayings of wisdom in scripture are often general statements.  So, generally speaking, if we live as the Lord tells us to, we’ll have a good reputation.  But in the hands of easily persuaded men, our reputations may not stand.  God will always judge or assess our character fairly, but we cannot count on man. 

God’s word stands.  Yes, a good name is more desirable than great riches, and to be esteemed is better than silver or gold (Pr 22:1).  But know that men are fickle and your good name among them is in constant jeopardy.  Although successfully serving the Lord is dependent on how we interact with others, I don’t believe that God desires us to be slave of the often unstable attitudes and faulty discernment of man, who often doesn’t allow God’s word to shape their perceptions.  We’re to store our riches in heaven, which is where we should also really care if we have a good name (Mt 6:20-21).    

Again, according to the first definition, reputation is determined by overall character.  So, to accurately determine reputation, people -in general- should be good judges of character.  It’s always best to take a person as they are, and reserve any assessment of people for personal experience.  But a discerning person will occasionally allow a trusted individual to vouch for the character, and speak of the reputation of another.  We don’t trust everyone’s opinion.  

But I believe that God is more concerned about what is, rather than how things appear, and the first definition of reputation basically depends on who a person is, as determined by reasonable people.  I think it’s that definition that best describes God’s viewpoint of our reputation.  We know that He’s just.  And that’s why I assert that reputation isn’t what’s merely said or believed about a person, but what’s known about them.  That’s Proverbial, heavenly perspective, and wisdom, as opposed to the Ecclesiastical, worldly view of wisdom.

Do we have an appropriate relationship with our reputations?  Many have chosen to believe the lie that says, liability is a measure of success.  But based on that belief, Jesus would be considered unsuccessful.  The Bible tells us that a student isn’t above his teacher.  So, if Jesus had his haters, what makes us think we can be hater free?  (Lk 6:40).  It should come as no surprise.  Jesus already forewarns us that if we follow him, WE WILL BE PERSECUTED (2 Ti3:12-14).  Withstanding persecution and still persevering proves a believer’s fitness for the kingdom.  When we’re faced with the temptation to yield under persecution, we should still be found standing with the Lord (Mt 10:32-33). 

An inappropriate relationship with reputation is rooted in pride.  It’ll lead an individual to place public approval over God’s. Saving face will take precedence over sincerity.  The lie of pride that may lead to an extreme concern with reputation will convince a person that, it only matters how things look, not how they are.  Keep putting up that front.  The only person you have to answer to is you.  But don’t believe those lies!  The Bible encourages you not to be afraid of man who can only (harm your reputation by scandalizing your name, presenting you in a negative light, rallying people against you, threatening you with isolation, pointlessly disagreeing with you, and even) kill you, but rather revere the Lord who can do so much worse to you, but desires to do so much better for you (Mt 10:28; Jas 1:17).  Man’s range of power is limited, but God’s is unlimited!  

Because Jesus understood this, he successfully carried out the mission his Father gave him.  Understand that God’s reputation among men was not so much of importance to Him that he couldn’t even set aside His glory and submit to the humiliation of becoming a man (Php 2:5-7).  (Although He maintained His deity, He set aside its prerogatives.)   And surely, the favor of Pharisees and high priests was alluring to Jesus (Heb 4:15).  He was, no doubt, hurt by the rejection of his own people (Jn 1:11; Ps 118:22).  But glory be to God!  He was faithful enough to carry out his high calling!  Jesus’ sight was heavenward.  But imagine if yielded to the temptation to give in and win the favor of man over doing what he knew to be right? 

You may say, of course he could do this with no problem.  He’s God; I’m only human.  But God wouldn’t command us to be Christ-like if it weren’t possible.  Look at all of the people in the Bible who man hated or despised, but was approved by God: Abel, Joseph, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (bka Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), Daniel, Lazarus, Stephen, etc. (Ge 4:1-7; 37:1-11; Dan 3; 6; Lk 16:19-31; Ac 7:54-60).    Paul imitated Christ’s example and humbly gave up the good esteem of fellow Jews to embrace him.  He was a Hebrew of Hebrews:  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee, (former) persecutor of the church, and righteously faultless (Php 3:4-6).  But I love how he basically says, ‘Forget all of that!’  Compared to knowing Jesus Christ, my reputation among you all is garbage (v.7-8).  Forget about my rep.  I’m choosing Jesus over a “good name” in your eyes.  I know this earthly life is temporal.   I’m making the decision to have a heavenly view!          

                                                                                                                        

                                                                                          

More Than Words

Regarding the questions I posed from last week, starting with the first:

According to the NIV note on Romans 10:9, salvation involves inward belief (‘within your heart’) as well as outward confession (‘with your mouth’).  The Merriam-Webster definition of the word confess includes more than simply speaking, but it means to make known, acknowledge, or give evidence of. 

This is not to say that words are meaningless.  The tongue has the power of life and death (Pr 18:21).  The world was created by spoken word (Gen 1).  But the kingdom of God is not a matter of mere talk, but of power (1 Co 4:20).  For the believer, what begins with words is manifested in tangible, very real results (Jas 2:17-18, 26). 

But Jesus and Isaiah even acknowledged the hypocrisy of non-believers who honor the Lord with their lips, but their hearts are far from him (Isa 29:13; Mt 15:7-8).  This testifies to the fact that confession involves more than simply talking the talk and conforming to religious expectations of what a Christian looks and sounds like (Jesus also preaches against religious conformity for the sake of putting on airs too, in Mt 15:9.).  But it’s what’s in the heart that matters most.  The things we do -or don’t do- is evidence of what’s in our hearts (Mt 12:33).         

Concerning the second question, the phrase ‘born of water’ refers to baptism in the context of John 3:5.  However, in Luke 23:39-43, what we know of the criminal who Jesus said would be with him in paradise was based on his testimony.  His rebuking of the other criminal (‘Don’t you fear God?’), his since of justice (‘We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.’), and his recognition of Jesus as holy (‘But this man has done nothing wrong.’) all identify him as a believer.  So, either he always belonged to God and got caught up in crime, or what we witnessed was his salvation right there on the cross.  Either way, Jesus accepted him. 

Notice what wasn’t said though:  There was no repentance from the man, or mention of his baptism (Jn 3:5; Ac 2:38).  The criminal did not allude to Jesus’ prophesized resurrection, nor did he recognize that Jesus is Christ, or God’s only son (Jn 3:16; 11:25; 1 Jn 5:1).  I assume that this means one of two things:  either Jesus accepted the man based on previous confessions (Remember, we only get a snapshot of his life at Calvary.), or Jesus accepted him based off of the confession of his heart.  Jesus had responded to the questions of the heart before, as well as questions that were asked out loud, but may’ve been out of his earshot (Lk 5:22, 30-31).  He perceives our thoughts from afar (Ps 139:2).  Nothing in all creation is hidden form God’s sight.  Everything is laid bare before the eyes of him whom we must give account (Heb 4:13). 

God is more than faithful, and will always do his part (Nu 23:19; 1 Co 1:9).  But as far as our part is concerned, I believe that every individual is responsible for what they know, or have had the opportunity to know before they are ultimately judged by God (2 Co 5:10).  Works are evident of faith, but our relationship with works (e.g. baptism and confession) cannot not be substituted for a genuine relationship with God.  It’s not works that save us, but it’s by grace that we’re saved through faith (Eph 2:8-9).         

        

        

In Our Own Eyes

This post was inspired form my pastor’s message this past Sunday on the Israelite leader’s report on their Canaan exploration (Nu 13:25-33).  There were some things that stood out to me from that scripture. 

First of all, an overview:  The Lord told Moses to send out men to explore the land of Canaan, which he was giving them.  Moses sent twelve, representatives of the various tribes to report.  He told them what look for:  type of land, strength of the people, whether the towns were walled, check the fertility of the soil and whether there were trees or not.  And they were also to bring back samples of the land’s fruit.  They came back, and told the people how plentiful the land was and showed them all of the fruit they’d collected.  It was flowing with milk and honey!  But they continued with a ‘but’, telling the people that basically the people living there were giants.  Caleb (and Joshua) attempted to put an end to what were clearly expressions intended to frighten and dishearten the people.  It may’ve been inhabited by large people, but Caleb expressed faith in God in saying, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’   

Then the other men continued saying, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are’.  They even then changed their report about the land saying, ‘The land we explored devours those living in it.’ And exaggerated by adding, ‘we saw Nephilim there...’  The reference to the Nephilim seems deliberately intended to evoke fear (NIV note).  And finally, the truth of the matter, ‘We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.’

·         First of all, the land had already been set aside for them by God (Nu 13:1-2).

·         God didn’t want them to be ignorant of the situation they faced, but faithful enough to trust him.  The land was rich and the people may’ve been giants, but ‘faith never denies reality, but leaves room for God to grant a new reality’. (Jim Cymbala, from ‘Praying God’s Word’ by Beth Moore). It was for them to speak and act based on faith in God.  God always does his part. The question is:  Will we do ours?

·         It was the leadership’s responsibility to instill confidence in the people based on God’s ability, not their own.  Instead they expressed doubt based on their own ability (or inability), which is nothing more than pride.  There own so-called ability had never been a factor in any success they’d experienced in the past, so why should it be then?

·         Caleb and Joshua’s report came from faith in God, which is an expression of love, while the other’s report came from fear.  The two are always in opposition (1 Jn 4:18).

·         Real power is in faith, and faith comes by hearing the word of God (Ro 10:17).  The Canaanites were faithless pagans, so imagine how much more powerful the Israelites would’ve been had they just stood on God’s word?  They would’ve been the real giants (Ro 8:31)!  But since they seemed like grasshoppers in their own eyes, they looked the same to their opposition (v. 33).  

Those Who Wait

As much as I like blogging, starting next week I’ll post only once per week, as I have other priorities that require more of my attention.  But considering I’ve been posting three times a week for about three months, I have quite a few posts in my archive.  So, I’ll encourage readers read them and comment on them still.

There are many benefits to being patient, which is something I’ve been struggling with lately.  My grandmother suggested I write a blog entry on this topic every week.  We have encouragement through scripture in patience, as well as restoration through patience.  And patient people promote peace and enjoy harvest (Pr 15:18; Isa 40:31; Ro 15:4; Jas 5:7-8).

We should be patient because it’s commanded (Mt 22:37-39; 1 Co 13:4; Ro 12:12; 1 Th 5:14).  It shows trust and wisdom (Ps 40:1-4; Pr 19:11).  And God himself demonstrates patience (1 Ti 1:16; Nu 14:18).  Thank you for it Lord!  The hope Christians have is a byproduct of salvation (Ro 8:24-25,NIV note on v. 24).  Although we may experience momentary discouragement, a person who is saved is never hopeless, and doesn’t live a life that is characterized by hopelessness. So patience during suffering must also result.

In Hebrews 6:12, faith, patience, and the inheritance of the promise is juxtaposed with laziness.  Faith and patience are not passive, but active (see also Heb 7; Jas 2:17).  Faith must be proven by action.  Just as the farmer waits for the land to yield its crop, he continues to tend to the land and provide a healthy environment where crops will flourish (Jas 5:7-8).  And see how grumbling and complaining are also counter-productive and not indicative of one who is saved.  Complaining brings about judgment, not a harvest (Jas 5:9).  Bless us Lord!  Patience is also juxtaposed with pride (Ecc 7:8).  Patience says wait on the Lord.  Have wisdom and trust.  Recall past victories.  Surely God has even greater in store!  Pride says, do things your own way.  It ain’t comin’ fast enough.  And don’t you know that God will not reward impatience (Heb 11:6)?   

The things that I believe God want for me require me to be patient and faithful and work as one who is waiting for a promised harvest, not work as one who’s at it all alone.  My promise is in the seed of God’s word, not manmade devices!   

Grace, Pt.1

First of all, my apologies to anyone who may’ve missed my Friday post.  I wasn’t even able to think straight because I was suffering from a viral infection complete with fever, headache, body aches, and loss of appetite (and if you know me, you know it’s serious then).  But I’m -at least- back to blogging health!

I can’t even put into words yet, how these past five days have been.  I’m still trying to evaluate it myself.  But the Holy Spirit has put in the forefront of my mind the value of grace, which is commonly defined as unmerited favor by Christians.  Merriam-Webster’s definition, in the context of biblical scripture, is unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration and sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace; approval; favor; privilege.

To receive God’s grace is so humbling.  In fact, God gives grace to the humble 9Pr 3:34).  Not the perfect, but the humble.  Paul boasted in God’s wisdom to afflict him with a thorn in his flesh along with the revelations he’d given to keep him humble (2 Co 12:7-10).  The nature of his affliction of the flesh was unknown, so we can find ourselves here.  God gives a better solution than removing the thorn:  for him to show himself strong in people’s lives despite their weaknesses.  The absolute best example is Christ’s sacrificial death on Calvary and resurrection (Lk 22:41-44; 23:26-24:35).

Paul says something so striking in Acts 20:24, and I second it: ‘…I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace’.  Or as the Michael A. Jones version goes, ‘My life wouldn’t have meant nothin’ unless I did as God told me to do, through his Word, by living a life that testifies to the gospel of his grace, which has shown that although I was messed up, God was still able to use me!’  As much as Paul had been blessed with, he also had his weaknesses, which kept him humble and fully aware that it was all God who was working in him, and not himself. 

Without grace there would be no hope.  We’d be subject to the law of sin which results in death (Ro 8:1-2).  The law was given, not to bring about redemption, but to point out the need for it, which is only offered through Jesus Christ (Jn 14:6; Ro 5:20-21, and NIV note).  The Bible tells us to be careful of taking advantage of grace.  Don’t be deceived.  God cannot be mocked.  But grace should be our motivation to obey God in love (Ro 6:1-15; Gal 6:7).

Not to deny the reality and the goodness of justice, but grace is the cornerstone of the Christian faith.  Without it, there is no hope, no faith, no Christianity.  So I conclude with these parting words John wrote until Christ’s return, ‘the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.’ (Rev 22:21)       

  

The Top Ten Steps to Success

10. Just keep trying.

9. Try to determine what is working.

8. Try to determine what is not working.

7. Try to find someone who’s done it.

6. Try to ask for help.

5. Try it again tomorrow.

4. Try it a little differently.

3. Try it once more.

2. Try it again.

1. Try.

Y’all notice a theme there?  I love this list!  I don’t know if you’ve seen it before, but I got it from a poster at work.  And being that I desire to live according to the word of God, I’ve grabbed instances in the Bible where people have put these guidelines for success to work; because unless these steps line up with the word of God, they’re just flowery words that will ultimately lead to failure, if one chooses to build on them (Lk 6:46-49).  Some in the Bible needed to apply many of these steps and some only a couple, but they’ve shown that with God anything’s possible (Mt 19:26).    

When Jesus’ disciples went fishing on the sea of Tiberius one night and were not able to catch anything (which must’ve been extremely frustrating considering at least two were career fisherman and nighttime was the favorable time to fish), they followed the instruction of a man that they did not recognize as Jesus to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and caught so many fish that they couldn’t pull the net onto the boat (Jn 21:1-6)!  Theses disciples decided to try once more the next day, after presumably fishing all night until early morning.  They knew enough to put their experience to work, but also had enough sense to know that it wasn’t working, and they then tried it a little differently.  And although Jesus was a carpenter, by trade, he was also 100% God and 100% man, lived a perfect life, and defeated death (Mt 13:55; Jn 1:1-2, 13; 2 Co 5:21; 1 Co 15:55-57).  Who better to listen too?  He’s done it all!  Although they didn’t ask the man for help, thank God they were willing to take his advice.    

Before his death and resurrection, when Jesus walked out onto the lake to catch up with the disciples that he’d sent forward, and they were scared -thinking he was a ghost.  He told them, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’  Peter then asked him to invite him out onto the water.  And at Jesus’ the word, Peter was able to walk on the water, as Jesus did.  But then, instead of keeping his focus on Jesus, Peter considered the wind, and began to sink.  He then called out to Jesus, crying out, ‘Lord, save me!’  And immediately, the Bible says, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, and said, ‘You of little faith.  Why did you doubt?’ (Mt 15:22-31)  Peter saw what was working, asked for help, tried it, saw that focusing on the situation wasn’t working and cried out (tried it again).  Imagine if Peter hadn’t trusted in the Lord.  Not only could he have drowned (It’s possible.), but he wouldn’t have been added to the two man list of people who’ve walked on water!

Similar stories are found in the Bible, where those who were casting out demons learned that if you don’t know the Lord for yourself, it can be detrimental to your well being to use his name (Ac 19:13-20).  David took the tools of his trade along with him (a staff, sling, and five smooth stones), as well as an assurance of victory in the Lord, instead of the bulky armor of a soldier (1 Sam 17:38-40).  And he didn’t need a sword either.  He just used Goliath’s to cut his head off (v. 51).  Timothy lead a successful ministry after being mentored by Paul (1 Tim).  And Job refused to curse the Lord during his trials, but in his affliction was restored twice the amount he’d lost after praying for his useless ‘friends’ (Job).

These people put forth a genuine effort to reach whatever goal that was ahead of them and were made successful because of their faith that they put into action (Jas 2:17).  And God, not being a respecter of persons, if it was doable for them, it’s doable for us through our Lord Jesus Christ (Ac 10:34; Php 4:13).

It's All About Who You Know

I overheard a guy making this statement while whining about his job search woes at a bookstore last week, basically expressing doubt about the possibility of getting hired.  I still kind of regret missing the opportunity to speak life into his situation, but sometimes people have a spirit on them I just feel the need to run from.  I can’t bother with negativity sometimes.  But I couldn’t help but agree with what he said though.  It is all about who you know.  If you know God, he’ll know you. 

The Lord recognizes those who recognize his Son.  It’s only Jesus Christ who has the power to intercede for us (Ro 8:33-34).  Those who know God (both in word, and more importantly, in practice) will be recognized by him.  But if anyone is ashamed of him and his words, Jesus will be ashamed of him when he comes to the Father (Lk 9:26).  The Bible speaks of God’s regard for those who either acknowledge him, or not, in light of Judgment Day (Mt 10:32-33; Mk 8:38; Lk 12:9).  But I believe our lives are affected by that principal on earth as well.  Those who honor God will be honored, but those who despise him will be disdained (1 Sa 2:30).  Israel forgot God, so with divine correction, he punished them by selling them into the hand of their enemy (1 Sa 12:9; Heb 12:11).  For all of us who are familiar with Israel, they had a habit of doing this, as do many of us today: They failed to acknowledge God -in one way or another- and in his love, God disciplined Israel in order to restore them into good standing with him.  Surely, a person cannot expect to be treated any differently than they treat a just God. Yet, he continues to show us grace and mercy.  He remembers us when we’re in a bad place (Ps 136:23).  And I am thankful that he grants what’s not owed!  But we’re warned not to tempt him (Dt 6:16; Mt 4:7).     

It’s not only about who, but what we know.  By faith, through Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit, we have power and authority on this earth to move mountains, and receive new jobs (Heb 11:1, Mt 28:18; Ac 1:8; Mt 17:20; 21:22)!  We have the ability to speak to a situation, and it must change Mk 11:23)!

Salvation

We’re told that we’ve all have sinned and fallen short of what God has intended us to be -as detailed in his word, which is the Holy Bible (Ro 3:23; Jn 1:1-5).  To be clear, the word all excludes no one.  And falling short of God’s word is the definition of what sin is.  Being made in God’s spiritual image, we’re intended to be like God, who is holy, righteous, just, etc. (Ge 1:26-28; 1 Sam 2:2; Ro 3:22; 2 Th 1:6).  However, after the fall of man we’re all born into sin -meaning we have the propensity to sin, not that we were born with sin (Ge 3; Ps 51:5).  And the result of sin is death, and separation from God (Ro 6:23; Isa 59:2; Hab 1:13). 

There must be a sacrifice given for sin, in order to reconcile us to God, and Jesus Christ has made that sacrifice for us (Heb 9:22; Ro 4:25; 1 Jn 2:2: Heb 10:10-18).  He was qualified because he did what no one else did, lived a perfect life, free of sin (2 Co 5:21).  And not only did he lay down his life, but he was resurrected, meaning he has victory over sin, and the death that results from it (Ro 5:8; 1 Co 15:3-4, 54-57).  And through Christ we have the same power to overcome sin and death (Ro 5: 8-10; 6:6, 23; 1Pe 3:18). 

Since salvation has been offered, it is now for us to receive it by faith in Jesus Christ (Jn 1:12; 3:16-18; 5:13).  It is only by our belief in Jesus that we receive salvation, not by our works (Eph 2:8-9; Jn 5:24).  From sin, death, and separation to righteousness, life and reconciliation we are saved (Jn 20:31; Ro 3:21-22).  People differ on what’s required for salvation:  whether, or not, it is a one time deal or the reception of salvation must be perpetual, and whether, or not, baptism, or a confession in speech, are absolutely necessary (It would be a shame if a man couldn’t be saved because he was mute, or there was a drought.) (Jn 3:5; 17:3; Ro 10:9-13).  But the one thing that all scripture, regarding salvation, has in common is belief in Jesus Christ (Lk 23:39-43; Jn 14:6).  God, being just will only hold us responsible for what we know or have been given the opportunity to know (Ro 1:20; Rev 3:20).