Reputation Vs Character

Preparing for this past Sundays message I came across this quote:

"Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and the angels know of us." - Thomas Paine

This sent me on a bit of a detour on my preparation. We can build a reputation quite quickly but we can also loose it in an instance. You can read of many leaders including "successful" church leaders that have large churches and huge ministries. Everything in the garden seems rosy only for the wheels to drop of and in an instance the reputation is in ruins.

This usually seems to happen because the character does not meet the reputation. If reputation can be quickly obtained and easy lost then character is the opposite. It takes a long time to develop and will stay with us for eternity. Its also the thing that keeps our reputation intact.

God keep us focused on the main thing. Mould my character to be like Jesus so that His reputation will be great.