Have you ever heard rumors? Of course you have. Some are good, some are bad, while others are completely fake and have no part in truth. When deciding where you want to go to church, work, live, etc…, you ask around and ask your friends and family what they have heard about (whatever you are thinking of doing that’s new to you).
The people will then tell you what they have either experienced there or have heard from their friends. This becomes your reputation if enough people say it. It can be that working at a certain place is terrible, or that it treats its employees well. It could be a reputation of a place that is either safe or one that there is a lot of crime and looting that goes on in a certain area.
We see instances like this all the time and it affects where we go and how we make our decisions. If we hear that a town has a reputation for having a high crime rate, we usually decide not to live there if we can do something about it.
Some people will even decide to live an hour away from their work if they know that the area that their work is in, has a bad reputation.
“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world.”
Romans 1:8
Hcsb Bible
The same can be said if you hear of a place with a great reputation. Some people even decide what jobs they want based on it. They decide their educational goals on it too. Some will even choose a job with a smaller company and take less pay if the smaller company has a great reputation for treating their employees really well.
The same goes with churches. Paul here is talking about a church in Rome that has a great reputation for their faith. They are holding steadfast to the word of God that they have. Because of this, their reputation is reaching far and wide. Even though Paul naturally wants to go and minister to them, he’s been stopped repeatedly from doing so. He’s also still wanting to visit them even though he’s thousands of miles away in Corinth at the time.
I remember when I was younger, I would think that “I don’t care what people think of me” was a good way of living life. Though it can be beneficial in some cases since you won’t be letting peer pressure affect you as much, it can also lead to you making really bad mistakes or making you look too prideful and conceited. So a better way of looking at it is, “I only care what people think of me, if I’m following God completely”.
Of course make sure you actually are following God and know the truth.
So I have to ask you. What is your reputation? Is it one of prideful and arrogance, one of being a pushover, lazy, nonchalant. Or is it one of being a great and faithful follower of Jesus Christ?
I sure hope at the end of my life, my life shows the message of Jesus Christ far and wide to everyone.
If anyone has any questions or disagreements, comment below or message me and I’ll respond when I can. I hope y’all have a great day. Till next time, keep serving God.
The Bible Life 