Daily Light - May 22, 2012

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold."  Proverbs 22:1

"I don't care what anyone thinks" is a popular mantra for those with a rebellious spirit.  Life is lived with a disregard for the opinions of others.  Granted, our first concern about how we live our lives should be what God thinks and not others, but there are numerous admonitions in Scripture for God's children to live so that others may see Christ in us.  We are called to live in holiness so that our reputation may be one of blamelessness.  We are admonished to let our light shine so brightly that when others see it they will glorify our Father in Heaven.

Solomon knew that a reputation of godliness was far greater than all of the wealth in the world, something which he had.  A godly reputation must be diligently sought and finely crafted.  This thought occurred to me while working in the yard the other day.  As I was passing by with the mower I saw an old bird's nest that had fallen out of a palm tree.  It was obvious that it had been used some time ago, but it was still completely intact.  When I came by it again, the mower chewed it up and spit it out in a thousand tiny pieces.  That is when I started to reflect on that nest.

At some point in time a bird carefully knit that nest together.  It gathered twigs and other debris to make it exactly right.  The time and the effort alone are incredible to consider.  Strong winds and rain cannot tear apart that beautifully crafted nest.  However, in just a split second the blades of that mower tore all of that work apart.

Such is a reputation.  We can work for years doing what is right, saying the right things, and submitting our will unto the Lord.  A finely crafted reputation is a thing of beauty and more valuable than anything on this earth.  However, sin can suddenly tear that reputation to shreds.  What was once thought of as seemingly indestructible can be scattered as tiny pieces of ruined hopes and relationships.  What was once a thing of beauty and honor is now a pile of worthless rubble.  Oh, let us not only build a reputation that honors God but let us be determined to protect it each and every day!

For those who have had their reputation ruined by sin, do not lose hope.  That bird's nest will never be the same, but we are given the promise that our God is one who restores and redeems what has been broken.  He can take the pieces and mold them back together to be of great beauty once again.  It will surely take plenty of time, and the process will most likely be painful, but listen to the Savior say, "I make all things new!"

Pastor David

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