Only God can judge me?

If I asked 10 people in your local community what they thought of you, what kind of responses would I get? I would be willing to bet that some of you are currently squirming in your chairs at the prospect of such a thing. Maybe you are haunted by the mistakes of your past. Maybe you are living a double-life right now and are horrified at the idea of being exposed. In order to grow and live as a man of God, you must overcome this. In this chapter, we will shatter the myth that it doesn’t matter what others think of you and look at ways to walk in the light.

There is a certain attitude that has developed within Christian circles that seems to ignore Paul’s command to be thought well of by outsiders. That is what we are talking about here with this idea of being reputable. I remember a buddy of mine who got a tattoo on his back right after high school that said, “only God can judge me.” Well, no. Many people can and do judge you, and if you profess to be a follower of Jesus, then he is being judged by them as well. What kind of example are you being for a Christ follower? Are you leading people to think that Christians are judgmental and hypocritical? Or that Christians are shady and untrustworthy in business? Or that Christians have rage issues and blow the horn and flip the bird if someone sits too long at a green light? How you conduct yourself in the world speaks volumes about the character of God and his children. Remember the simple statement, and I pray it will help you like it helped me: Everything we think, say, do, and feel is making a statement about who God is.

Men, when we step into the workplace, or the grocery store, or the barber shop, we must be conducting ourselves in a way that glorifies God through our reputation as upstanding and godly men. I understand that we can be persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and that when that happens your reputation is often tarnished in the public eye, but for many men, their reputations are trash not because of righteousness but because of foolishness, and even wickedness. If we are to be the kind of men our families are in desperate need of, and who the kingdom of God is built by, we must step out of foolishness and immaturity and into an all-encompassing way of life. The bible speaks about this very thing when it tells you and I to “look carefully how you walk” (Ephesians 5:15). The word for walk in Greek gives the idea of how one conducts himself in this life here on earth. We should watch what we do, seeking to live in and bring the light of the Gospel into any and every situation. We should consider the way the outside, unbelieving world views our life and conduct. One of the ways we can do this is by habitually seeking to find God’s perspective on our day. From the conversations at work to the grumpy cashier at the grocery store, we can show the love of Christ and the presence of his kingdom here on earth through our attitude and actions. There are really only two options when it comes to your reputation: Show Christ and his kingdom rightly or bring shame and dishonor to Christ and his kingdom. The choice is yours, but if you want to walk as a man of God, you’ll begin to consider your reputation and whether it is God-honoring or not.