The Futility of Managing Your Own Reputation
“For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants”
– Psalm 135:14.
One of the most difficult aspects of life to surrender to the Lord is your reputation. When someone makes an accusation or charges you with an offense, everything in you wants to defend yourself and correct what people are thinking about you. Yet the Lord desires that you trust your reputation with Him, allowing Him to be your agent and handle your public image. He promises to vindicate you, but He will do it on His own terms and in His own time. You must keep in mind that He may not clear your name in a way that suits you, but rather causes you to trust Him even more for your career, public image and relationships. The Bible already advised you that God is the one who will avenge wrongs done to you in Hebrews 10:30: “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay.”” Have you been contemplating taking revenge on someone who has wronged you? Have you been distressed over a wrong done to you or about an accusation or charges made against you? Can you see that the Lord wants you to trust Him and not take matters or your defense into your own hands?
Today’s reading – Psalms 131-135
John Stanko was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Duquesne University where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics in 1972 and 1974 respectively.
Since then, John has served as an administrator, teacher, consultant, author, and pastor in his professional career. He holds a second master’s degree in pastoral ministries, and earned his Doctor of Ministry from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh in 2011.
John founded a personal and leadership development company, called PurposeQuest, in 2001 and today travels the world to speak, consult and inspire leaders and people everywhere. From 2001-2008, he spent six months a year in Africa and still enjoys visiting and working on that continent, while teaching for Geneva College’s Masters of Organizational Leadership and the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, John founded Urban Press, a publishing service designed to tell stories of the city, from the city and to the city.
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