1 John 1:5 TPT
“This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it’s still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him.”
In his wisdom, King Solomon once said, “A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume…” (Ecc 7:1 NLT). While what he said is indeed very true for our social relations here on earth, we are called to value the truth above merely maintaining a good reputation before men. This is because the truth, especially the truth of the Gospel, will not always win one a good reputation on earth, since the devil works tirelessly to turn the hearts of many against God’s truth. If what Solomon said was all that there is to go by, then the devil would have probably succeeded in tarnishing the reputation of the LORD long ago.
The life and ministry of our Lord Jesus provides a classic example of what a good reputation truly is. He was called all sorts of (negative) names, misunderstood, His godly reputation was badly marred, and men even “…thought [that] his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!” (Isa 53:4 NLT). Yet, on the contrary, Jesus did exactly what pleased God the Father. The Scripture says clearly that “He [Jesus] never sinned and he never spoke deceitfully” (1 Pet 2:22 TPT). Jesus minded what pleased the Father and went for it, even when it had to earn Him names.
Against all that the devil has done to give a bad picture of God to many people, our text says, “God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him.” Hallelujah! In that regard, it is wisdom to heed what God says about us because it is He to whom we shall ultimately give an account. Child of God, since God is pure light, you can trust Him fully. Rest assured that His plans for you in Christ are good—plans to bless and prosper you, never to harm you (despite the lies of the devil). That being said, the greatest reputation that matters is what heaven will approve of someday. Let’s settle for that the most.
Pst. Emmanuel
