Value Reputation over Appearance

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-2)
       Passage: 1 Peter 2:9-12

         I appreciate soap and deodorant and I like the aroma of perfume when my wife, Pamela, sprays it on herself. When Solomon spoke about perfume, he was not putting it down. He was contrasting something that deals with the outside appearances and presentations of our life. His perspective on what makes life meaningful is that a good name or reputation is more important that a clean body.
        Solomon then pointed out the reality that everything about our outward appearance is temporary. When you die, your appearance will not matter and it won’t be the thing that is remembered most about you. What will matter and be remembered is the reputation that you built with your life. I conduct a lot of funerals and have been with hundreds of people at the final days and hours of life. I have never heard anyone say they wish they had spent more time making money and less time with their family. You are building a reputation every day. Set your heart to make is one that honors Christ in every way.        

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)