A great challenge in faith is to understand the true meaning of reputation!

What is the meaning of the word reputation?

The estimation in which one is held; character in public opinion; the character attributed to a person.

This is the picture of the outer man which is seen in public’s eyes, which is an important social status or repute among men. However the word of God teaches us in Philippians 2:7 that our Lord Jesus leaving the glory of Heaven in emptying Himself in a form of man, He made Himself of no reputation. What an oxymoron? Or what a contradiction to the earthly understanding of our humanity.

As men we expect praise from one another and feel very good when we are praised, but Jesus said He does not accept praise from men, knowing what is in men. He even explained that in His kingdom the higher place is decided through service & bowing dawn to servant’s level.

In washing their feet Jesus declared to His own a new way of Kingdom elevation, which was unknown to the prideful disposition of men.

He taught them by His actions that He being in His divinity has humbled Himself in conforming to the image of a fallen man, in serving them and even ready to die for them. Before this they saw things in a complete different picture, but when Jesus portrayed Himself in a servant like humility they understood a whole new principal of the Kingdom to come. Yes they were challenged in their humanity to see this kind of elevation in the kingdom contradictory methods to the earthly mindedness.

A true challenge for them to conform to.

In Luke chapter 18 our Lord speaks of a parable in regards to a persistent widow and an unjust Judge and immediately turns the picture to the persistence of His  own saints in their prayers, but also He mentions a great hindrance in their lives and that was lack of consistent faith in them.

What had happened to their faith? Who or what had stolen the faith from them? I believe an enemy had subtly crept in among them and the Lord is revealing that in the following verses when He speaks to another group.

In this next story I trust the Lord is exposing the enemy by speaking the parable of the two men who went to the Temple to pray to God. Here the enemy was unmasked through religious pride.

In this story the fallacy of human pride in making a good reputation before men has crept in to the heart of the religious self righteous and by this their true character has been exposed to men and God.

By this the motives of his heart is exposed before men and God. Jesus told His disciples many times to be aware of the yeast of the Pharisees, and why? What was so wrong and twisted with them and how could that be found in us? One of the main characteristics of the religious Pharisees was their need to be noticed by men. Their need for recognition by men gave them away. They were men pleasers and highly esteemed what men thought about them.  They cared more for men’s opinion of themselves than what God thought about them. They were so immersed in their own deception that they forgot to be pleasing to God. In their arrogance they stood in the public corners and made long prayers. They sought the best seats in the synagogues. They made their robes long to be noticed in public as men of piety and their faulty knowledge of the scripture became their own snare.

They were seeking glory from a fallen man and in doing this they exchanged God’s own glory to worship the created in a sense and not the Creator. That is why I believe God had given them over to a debase mind in seeing themselves better than other men. As Paul the Apostle says in Romans 1 they had become fool while pretending to be wise. That is why I believe the Lord told this other group of the story of Luke 18: 9-14. Here Jesus is hearing the prayer of a Pharisee and a Tax collector, who are the prototype of a religious hypocrite and a basic sinner who admits to God his fallen state of Adamic sin. Listen carefully now the utterances of the one man before an all knowing God and omni presence God, from whom nothing is hidden, even our thoughts.

The Pharisee’s prayer “God I thank You that I am not like other men-—extortioners, unjust

Adulterers, or even as this tax collector. Wow did you hear? Doesn’t this look like me &you? It is very scary where we too stand.

After I read this scripture again today I saw a great dragon hidden within my mind too. I said to myself. Where have I sunk dawn Lord? Have you had some of these thoughts too? Has any of you being tempted to sink so low, and then wondered why your prayers are not answered? Or Have you had your blessings held back and you wonder why? Here you are if we have let our minds to deceive us like this then why are we upset with God in delaying in answering our prayers? This is what Jesus meant where He said in verse 8 “ I tell you that He will avenge them speedily, Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes will He really find faith on earth?” It is truly amazing how a little knowledge of the word of God can make us such hypocrites. But truly I thank God that we are not allowed to sink dawn in to mire completely to drawn in its deception.

Oh that He would help us to recovery of

Sight once again. I tell you even realizing our state of religious bigotry is not enough in itself, we need a heartfelt awakening through a genuine repentance, before it is too late. My condition scares me folks, what about anyone else’s? Knock, knock am I the only infected one among you tonight? Pride of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28 or Isaiah 14 describes this intense warfare happening within us, which is only captured by God’s own grace through our confession and repentance, otherwise where would we be?

This is why Paul in the letter to Galatians is warning them of the two beasts that are fighting in their own minds. It is in our mind that we war to be self justified and to be exalted and falsely glorified.

Therefore reputation which describes the condition of our utter man can be easily damaged, yet Character is the fruit of our obedience in sanctification, that has everlasting results.

Isn’t it amazing we care so much more for what people would say about us who do not see or know our inner thoughts than what God who knows us upside dawn thinks of us. We care to lose our approval with men, but we are carelessly walked about with God’s opinion of us.

The One to whom we must all one day give an account of our lives. To Him we owe less respect and fear, but to men we are more accountable.

In doing thing for men we worry about their opinion of us, but to God who weighs the intent of our motives we seem to have no care for.

Men’s approval of us makes us feel good, but our reputation with God after we are saved is not much of our concern.

Paul said if he cared what men thought of him, he could not be an Apostle of Christ, why? I believe because He cared more for what God would say about him than men.

Since Paul the Apostle having full knowledge of the scripture in the Old Covenant reading knew the same who would one day call Hosanna to the highest, soon would cry out crucify Him, crucify Him. Paul understood through revelation and the experiential knowledge of God that men are not to be trusted. Ofcource having said this I am not saying to live a licentious life of lawless carelessness before men. What I am trying to say is to live Godly in the sight of God and them man in a clear conscious before them both will make us stand blameless before Him at the last day.

Reputation is the outside  perception of men, but Character is what is evident before God.

I love the words of Jesus about Nathaniel, which says “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” or in another translation it says it in this way. Now here is a genuine son of Israel–a man of complete integrity.

This is why Paul says the real beauty of a woman should not be merely their outer braiding  of their hair or wearing of jewelry or costly gold, or other impressive traits of the outward appearance, but of the beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit of an inner person.

You see even in this case the person of the inner man is what is important, rather than the impressive utter impression of a false reputation.

Reputation can be made in a moment, but Godly character requires an entire life of obedience in Godliness and purity of the heart.

God’s eyes are fixed on this and not any other earthly and sensual traits. In our carnality we are more concerned with what men would say about us, than what God sees in us. Just like the parents of that blind man who in the fear of men would not confess Christ Jesus as the healer of their blind son.. Lord have mercy on us.!!!