Mere Men

A reputation. Everyone has one and whether it's good or bad, people will hold us accountable to the standard we have set for ourselves. Let me explain a little more. If you hold the door open for people, smile at others as they walk by, and rush to help someone who has dropped their books, you have a "good" reputation according to others. If you gossip about people you claim to be your friends, spend TOO much time with guys that have NO self-control, and wear skimpy clothing, you have a "bad" reputation according to others. A reputation is the estimation in which a person is held by the community or public.

This is something that I am trying to escape. I don't want to have a reputation. I don't want people expecting me to be one way or another. I want people to see nothing in me. Nothing of myself anyway. In the book of Philippians in the bible, Paul writes in Chapter 2 verses 5-7

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men."

Jesus is God. But when He came to this earth, there was nothing about Him that made Him seem royal or powerful in anyway. He came to this earth in the form of a man, and in doing so, humbled Himself. Now listen. Jesus, who is GOD humbled Himself and became a bondservant, who obeyed even to DEATH. JESUS! We are merely men and yet we lift ourselves up onto a pedestal, believing we deserve so much. What have we done that deserve any kind of praise or glory? What are we so sure that we deserve things for? Nothing. We have done nothing without God. But Jesus, He created the universe; He created time and everything we see. He created you. If you painted a beautiful picture and displayed it for people to see, they wouldn't go up the paint brush and say... "Wow... you created such a beautiful picture," because a paintbrush can do nothing by it's self. It needs you to guide it across the canvas. In the same way, we are like the paintbrush. We can't take credit for what God did through us. So if Jesus, who created all things, lived with no reputation, why don't we?

How can we get rid of reputations? Follow Jesus' example. "but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."(vs. 2:7,8) Why would He humble Himself while being found in appearance as a man unless it is man who should humble himself? I don't think it was a coincidence that the bible says that. It is our place to humble ourselves because we are merely men. It is our place to be obedient to God because HE is our Maker! We owe everything to Him.

I am trying to explain how to get rid of reputation but to be honest with you, I haven't fully figured it out. I don't want anything but Jesus to rule my life. Not clothes, friends, knowledge, beauty, family, material things, money, kindness, "good works".... the list can go on forever. I don't want to be associated with anything of this world. Just Jesus. If I can be known only as "The girl who loves Jesus" and nothing more, then glory be to God alone.