Does Your Reputation Please Man Or God?
When you're fasting, a lot of your time is spent in prayer and focusing on God. Still, there are some responsibilities that need attention. As the Director of YWAP - Youth With A Purpose, one of my duties is to write a lesson with a video for TAN - Teen Action Night in Buffalo, NY. The schedule for the year already has been written with keywords of study for each week. The 2020 TAN Season begins on January 9 and the keyword is "Reputation." That word has been on my heart all morning.
As an old-head, my reputation is different with many people. As a young-head I made a fair number of bad decisions that tarnished my reputation. Now that I've been graced by God to have survived my seasons of ignorance, I make better decisions. Young people carry the weight of immaturity. The Bible says we're all sinners, some of us more so than others. Ultimately our reputations ought to give glory to God through our actions toward others.
Here's how I plan to do the TAN video about reputation: Standing in front of a cave, I tell the young people that our future is unknown and is affected by our decisions that we make today. I will step into the cave and read, "The writing on the wall." I’ll tell the young people that your actions today are the writings of your reputation on the walls of your life. Your thoughts and actions describe who you are. You need to ask yourself who you are. Who are you? Do you please God? These will be some of the writings in the cave.
- She gets pregnant and quits school to raise her baby. Her reputation becomes about sex.
- He smokes weed, gets fooled by a drug dealer and overdoses from fentanyl.
- She studies hard and becomes a Teacher.
- He talks to a Guidance Counselor who helps him get a scholarship to college.
- She starts her own business.
- He joins the Marines.
- He steals to get money for drugs and ends up in jail.
- She tells lies about her friends to make herself look better and loses her friends.
- She becomes a Doctor who works with sick children.
- He becomes a Police Officer.
- He becomes a rubber chicken salesman.
- She starts a company that designs rubber chickens for youth groups.
DAY ONE WORD
Hebrews 11:5 Amplified Bible "By faith [that pleased God] Enoch was caught up and taken to heaven so that he would not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found because God had taken him; for even before he was taken [to heaven], he received the testimony [still on record] that he had walked with God and pleased Him."
DAY ONE PRAYER
Thank You God for making a way to walk with You. When You are pleased with us, You bless us in greater ways of understanding how to be better people. Our reputations are stained and tarnished without your grace. You grant us mercy and forgiveness for our bad decisions. Help us to know You more.. Cause us to hunger for more of You.
Amen.
DAY ONE DEEP THOUGHTS
~ Have you ever thought about what would be pleasing to God?
~ Will you have a good reputation that lingers after you die?
~ Are you going to heaven when you die?
I know I'm going to heaven because I've admitted my sinfulness and formed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I know that He died on a cross for all of us - so He could make a Way of Truth that leads to eternal Life in heaven.