Moment of Meditation: Precedes and Follows (1 Timothy 5:24-25)

The sins of some men are obvious,
reaching the place of judgment ahead of them;
the sins of others trail behind them.
In the same way, good deeds are obvious,
and even those that are not cannot be hidden.
(1 Timothy 5:24-25)

Precedes and Follows

Our reputation often precedes us wherever we go. We want those welcoming us to have AT LEAST a neutral view towards us. We'd prefer a positive, warm reception. Reputation is key to human interaction. Without at least a neutral reputation, life is unbearable.

That's the problem we have in this life. We don't like other people to have a better reputation than what we have. So we tend to tarnish their reputation so that ours looks better. But what does Jesus say about that type of behavior? "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean" (Matthew 15:19-20). Slander, tarnishing a person's reputation, is ranked up there with murder, theft and sexual immorality. Those are considered the BIG sins. But Jesus counts them all equal.

We're to work to keep our reputation intact. We're to work to help keep our neighbor's reputation intact. Our reputation often precedes us. It often also follows us. We try to run from the way things were somewhere else. Everything just catches up with us eventually. We cannot hide from our reputation. What's your reputation, Christian? Is it worthy of the Name? Amen.