July 19

Day 127: Reputation Management

How we think people regard us is important. Mostly to ourselves. We spend inordinate amounts of time managing our reputations. Social media is just the platform, upon which we can create and then massage our preferred vision of ourselves, curated for other people's consumption.

God also manages His reputation, but has His own media.

He lifts up, and also destroys entire empires. All for His own purposes. He judges rebellion, even that of His own people. He saves the contrite in heart.

God promises and delivers on His good promises. He tells His estranged, exiled people (in Ezekiel 36) that not for their sake, but for the sake of His holy Name would He do anything.

His ultimate purpose? That He would vindicate His holiness. That all the nations (being either blessed or destroyed) would "Know that I am the LORD."

God does this through restoration and renewal. He promises His people He will return them to the land given to their forefathers.

He promises to make the land fruitful again, both produce and people.

He says He will put His Spirit within them. For them, this is corporate language. For His true Church, however, He has given each of us His Spirit - like the presence of God made portable.

All to be done in the sight of the other nations. And all of it done so God's people would repent, and be made clean.

All for God's reputation. All for God's glory in the eyes of mankind.

Ezekiel 37 is a vision of dead, dry bones on a valley floor. God shows Ezekiel how the bones would move, rattle, and reattach, gain muscle and flesh, and have breath breathed into their lungs. And they would stand to their feet, and great army. God's chosen people reborn.

God the Creator. God the Giver of Life giving life to that which was dead.

God promised them David would be their shepherd. They probably heard that, and looked forward to things being restored to what they were before. Like the good old days.

But God doesn't rest His reputation on the good old days. Neither should churches in this day. Harkening back to our preferred version of the good old days (pick your favorite decade) will not positively impact God's reputation.

God says (in Revelation 21) two things; two things that will cement His rightful and true reputation in the eyes of all.

"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God."

And...

"Behold, I am making all things new."

God will not share His glory with anyone. He will protect His reputation. And God will do what's necessary to ensure that all mankind will know, for certain, that He alone is the LORD.

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau