Reputation January 22, 2015

Recall What God Remembers

“I remember the devotion of your youth. . ." Jeremiah 2:2  ESV

Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Am I full of the little things that cheer His heart over me, or am I whimpering because things are going hardly with me? There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what God prizes. It is a great thing to think that Jesus Christ has need of me—“Give Me to drink.” How much kindness have I shown Him this past week? Have I been kind to His reputation in my life?

God is saying to His people—“You are not in love with Me now, but I remember the time when you were.” “I remember . . . the love of thine espousals.” Am I as full of the extravagance of love to Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He find me recalling the time when I did not care for anything but Himself? Am I there now, or have I become wise over loving Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no account of where I go? or am I watching for the respect due to me, weighing how much service I ought to give?

If, as I recall what God remembers about me, I find He is not what He used to be to me, let it produce shame and humiliation, because that shame will bring the godly sorrow that works repentance.

Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (p. 15). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

"Have I been kind to His reputation in my life?"  What a poignant statement. 

In 2014, the Toyota Camry was the best selling car in the United States for the 13th consecutive year and the Ford F150 captured the top spot for trucks for the 38th straight year.  While many people probably did a lot of research about these vehicles, I imagine that just as many people purchased a Camry or F-150  just because both choices have a solid reputation of being dependable, long-lasting vehicles. 

A company's reputation, or good name, is an invaluable asset.  Toyota and Honda both have a reputation as quality vehicles.  General Motors products not so much.  Entire websites are now devoted to customer feedback for sales and services.  Yelp and Angie's List are two such sites.  Customers can praise or deride a company or individual on these sites and interested parties can read these reviews before making a decision where to spend their dollars.

As a result of these customer feedback sites, there are now sites that allow you to review and "protect" your online reputation.  One such site, Reputation.com will help a business or individual "look their best on the Internet by controlling their online search results because they frequently contain inaccurate, misleading, or outdated material which can adversely influence how web searchers view them."

If God were to get reviews from the people in our lives life based just on how we represent Him, how many stars would He receive?  Do our actions make Christianity a desirable life choice?  Are the choices we make causing people to consider a relationship with Jesus Christ?

So often we make decisions based on how it will be viewed by others, when the only real concern should be is how will that decision reflect on our Heavenly Father.  What will it do to His reputation?