Character and Reputation

Today was an interesting read in my devotional and I wanted to share it with whomever reads my blog.

The passage of scripture that I was reading from was Ezekiel 36:16-38. You are probably wondering why are you reading Ezekiel? Devotional dude!

So as I was reading this story I couldn't help but see that God's character is beyond reproach. But his reputation was being dragged through the mud. You see the people of Israel were being "cotton-headed-ninny-muggins" and not obeying God's law. So what does God the Father do, he sends them all away to their own corners for time-out.

But just like any child in a corner, they start to act out and get bored. The people of God still acted up. So God said you know what you are taking my name and causing other people to view me, the Creator of the heavens and earth as a weak God. 

God said, no sir! not gonna happen as long as I am around, (Which is forever) so he does something that blows my mind. Something that he did not only for the nation of Israel but also for you and me. You know what he did?

He decides to demonstrate his holiness, power and mercy. God does all of this for us today as he did then, not because we deserve it but because God doesn't like it when his reputation is on the line. So how did he do this for us, today?

Well, just like God changed the hearts of Israel through restoration, he then washed the filth from their hearts giving them a new heart with right desires and removed the sin stone heart. But not only that He put His Spirit in them so they would obey the laws and do what is right in God's sight when he commands it.

How crazy is that? That God would care about his people that much. Even in the worse case scenario, God chooses grace. God chooses a better plan for them, even when they don't deserve it. Jesus came for us in the same way God came for the Israelites. Jesus showed us the same attributes of the Father.

So, a final thought: Our character is what we are but our reputation is what people believe we are. Is our character aligning with our reputation as leaders? Are we willing to show mercy, grace and love when situations seem to be dragging down your reputation? I think that then and only then will your true character shine through.

Aaron