How To Have A Good Reputation.

A good reputation is something we all long for and know we need. But how can a person have a good reputation? You must understand that a good reputaion has to built over time and isn't something a person just decides to have as he would an icecream. A good reputation is the result of others being confident that you are a person to be trusted. People's trust takes time to win. So let me give you two surefire steps to building a good reputation as they are found in Proverbs chapter 3.

1. kindness

2. truthfulness

verse 3-"Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart."

verse 4-"So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man."

Always be kind and honest and favor and a good reputation will follow.

Focus

Have you ever been disappointed by another person? Have you ever felt that someone had pierced you through the heart? I once gave a gift to one of my children that I thought the child would really appreciate. However, the child didn't respond with the level of gratitude I thought appropriate for such a thoughtful gesture. My heart was broken as I watched the child lay the gift down and run off to play. Probably you have done something for someone or given something to someone only to have your heart broken by their lack of gratitude. We are in danger of being seriously wounded if we do not settle the issue of why we do things for others. Our motivation must spring from our love for Jesus and His love for us. Oswald Chambers said "If we are devoted to the cause of humanity, we shall soon be crushed and broken-hearted, for we shall often meet with more ingratitude from men than we would from a dog; but if our motive is love for God, no ingratitude can hinder us from serving our fellow men." Perhaps this is why there are so many burned out christians. Perhaps, if you are feeling burned out, it's because you have been more focused on pleasing others than on pleasing Jesus. So as the wonderful old hymn says "turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

No Man Is An Island

Proverbs 11:29    "He who troubles his own house will inherit wind, and the foolish will be servant to the wise hearted."

Sadly most people do not understand the source of many of their problems. "Inherit wind" means to have problems and this verse says that these problems are self inflicted. In general terms a person troubles his own house when he has an "exaggerated desire for independence" (Zondervan: Life Application Study Bible). This unbiblical independence leads to problems of many kinds and is the outward expression of a person's attempt to live without God. We are asking for problems when we live as if we do not need God or other people in our lives. Surrender to the Lord totally and let it show in your relationships with others. 

Golfers, Gardeners, and God Seekers

Proverbs 8:17; I love those who love me and those who diligently seek will find me.

Proverbs 8:35; For he who finds Me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.

What do you do well? The things you do well are probably things you do diligently. Few people ever succeed at any task without giving due diligence to the task. This is true whether we're golfing, gardening, or growing in the Lord. That's right. Even growing in the Lord requires diligence. But for most people, if they spent as much time on their golf game or their gardening as they spend on seeking the Lord, they would need a calculator to add their golf score and they would need a bulldozer to tend their gardens. Friend, God wants so bad for us to know Him that He has given us 66 books so we can.  In Matt. 6 Jesus tells us to "seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" and then a few verses later in Matt. 7 He says "seek and you will find."  The issue is not about whether God can be Known. The issue is whether we will invest ourselves, with all diligence, into the task of seeking to know Him.

Good Moring

Over the course of the past few months I have on numerous occasions entered the woods during the darkness of night. Truthfully there are times when this would be an unnerving exercise in futility were it not for the opportunity to see the hand of God in His creation as some of it prepares to sleep the day away and yet other parts come to life after a long nights rest. As the sun rises in the East, precisely the way God ordered, the night gives way to the day. Darkness retreats and is eventually conquered completely by the overpowering strength of the light. Images, that had only minutes earlier seemed to be something dreadful and hideous, are now shown to have been the figment of my imagination. And this is a most welcomed revelation. These thoughts came to my mind this morning as I read Proverbs 4:18-19 which says, "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble." As we draw nearer to Jesus (..." the light of the world"... John 8:12) the things that caused us fear and dread will be seen as they really are. So learn God's word and come into the light. And then, as Adrian Rodgers said, "never doubt in the dark what you have learned in the light." 

Economic Crisis-really?

I do not deny that our financial institutions, and everything else for that matter, are in trouble. But believers must remember with whom it is that their hope really lies. I am confident of this very thing. The real crisis for Christians isn’t economic. We, the church of the one true living God, are faced with a faith crisis. Listen to the wisdom of God’s word as it is found in Proverbs 3:9-10: 

“⁹ Honor the LORD from your wealth  and from the first of all your produce; ¹⁰ So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.” 

Do you honor Him with your wealth? Do you give Him the first parts? Or do you only give Him leftovers? Your problem is one of faith and not finances if you are unwilling to honor Him with your money. We honor God with our wealth when we give Him the tithe (10%). The tithe should be the first thing that comes out of your check. Think of it this way. God is so gracious to us that He only requires 10%. He lets us keep the other 90%. We also honor God with the part He graciously allows us to keep when we spend it according to His Word. Your honoring of God in this way results in filled barns and vats. In these uncertain times, believers must demonstrate to a lost world that they are certain about the one in whom they profess to have put their hope. Honor Him with your wealth.  

What's New With You

January 1 will be the starting point of many things for many people. We call them new years resolutions. Our personal observations of our lives have led us to the conclusion that some changes are in order. Promises to ourselves, our families, our friends, and maybe even to God will be made with the uttmost intention of fulfilling our grandiose desires to do better. But I wonder, has God been involved in the planning of these resolutions? It's good to make these commitments to Him. However, He should be the one directing the commitments that will be made. Psalm 139:23-24 says,

²³     Examine me, O God, and know my mind;

test me, and discover my thoughts.

and guide me in the everlasting way.

To make resolutions without God's help is like going to the doctor with a numb hand and upon hearing the doctor's diagnosis of heart problems you argue that you just need your hand cut off.

Change?

I like the song "Lose My Soul" by Toby Mac. The song is based on Jesus` question "what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul." Imagine being the richest man in the world and having everything money can buy only to die and discover that money wasn`t able to buy you an eternity to be spent in heaven. The Bible teaches us that our eternal future must be settled in the present by repenting of our sins and asking for the forgiveness that God offers through Jesus. Jesus called this being born again. Now, the one who is born again isn`t born the same old person but is instead born as a new person in Christ Jesus. This is what I was reflecting on while listening to the song mentioned above because there is a line in it that says "...since I got that call no more Saul now I`m Paul." Even the casual observer will notice the difference in Saul of Tarsus after he was born again on the road to Damascus. I wonder, do people notice a difference in me? When was the last time any noticeable change to be more like Jesus was observed in you?

Godspeed,

Pastor Roger