We need to spend less time worrying about our reputation and more time developing out character, because character is who we are, and our reputation is simply who others think we are. We naturally want both a good reputation and a good character, but if we build a strong character, everyone who knows us and is important in our life will know and acknowledge it. There will always be some who will attack our reputation out of jealousy or some other selfish motive, but those people aren’t important in the big picture.
When I think about character, the first person in scripture I think of (other than Jesus of course) is Jonathon, son of King Saul. Jonathon, as the king’s oldest son, was the presumed heir to the throne, but God had chosen David to be the next king. Instead of being jealous of David, Jonathon became very close friends with him and his faithfulness to that friendship made him warn David when the king was planning to hunt him down and kill him. In spite of warning David, Jonathon remained a good and faithful son of King Saul to the very end when he and his father were both killed in battle with Israel’s enemies.
As children of God, you and I have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us build a strong, solid character. In addition to the faithfulness Jonathon exhibited, the other eight fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 are signs of character. Those signs are not what we do – they are who we are, our true character.
I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad that at the final judgement I will not be judged by a jury of my peers. I will be judged by the One who knows who I am, inside and out. The relationship I have built with Him in this life through faith in His sacrifice for my sins, prayer, worship and study of His word will be all that matters.