What's more important: character or reputation?

Our lives are filled with hectic schedules, but we've only been given a certain number of days to accomplish what God wants us to do. Since the beginning, our Creator has provided a probationary period to each person to determine whom they will worship. The Biblical covenant salvation that Christ is offering to the world is real, but sadly there will be many who are too busy and thereby choose to separate themselves from Him eternally. Today is the day to seriously examine our priorities and realize that how we lived was more important than how well we landscaped our lawn, our popularity, or how much money we made.

I was driving past a cemetery the other day, and noticed someone placing flowers on a grave. I thought about what a powerful and positive influence this individual must have been for their loved ones to honor them. When it comes to those we have known that have passed on, what do you remember most about them? To take this thought even further, what would you want everyone to remember about you? The Charles Dickens story, "A Christmas Carol," reminds us that after we leave this life, those who knew us will always remember our deeds, our attitudes, and our words. It's true, we are all just one decision away from a completely different life.

Let us focus on our character instead of our reputation, because our character is who we really are, but our reputation is who people think we are. In Luke chapter 6, Jesus makes profound statements concerning how important it is for His followers to learn the difference between being just a decent person and someone who is governed by genuine spiritual love. The lessons that are learned from being willing to deeply examine our conscience are life-changing, to say the least. So, why are the masses not interested in cleaning out their mental closets and deep diving into their soul to face the reality of who they are? Because they are in denial, they are afraid of the truth because it's ugly, it's painful. They are not ready to let go of their arrogance and be transformed as Romans 12:2 explains it by the "renewing of the minds." So, where do we begin?

We must initiate and have a passionate desire to adjust, or it will never happen. It requires developing an awareness of God's presence, always being honest with Him, listening closely, and doing what He says. Sin is addicting and intoxicating and controls those who have become numb to its deception. Having a reverential fear of God is not cowering in terror, but it's comprehending that we are literally hurting Christ and disrespecting who He is. The danger is to come to the point where we do not care. The gracious Lord has a plan and destiny for everyone, a unique blueprint that is custom-designed for us to follow. However, His vision for us is not always automatically accomplished, as we have also been given freedom to choose how we will live. Each moment we make decisions to obey His desires or our own, and only when we make the choice to yield and surrender our will to His perfect will can He truly become our Lord and Master.

In closing, I want to share an idea with you about this column. I've been involved with ministry for over 40 years and have been a freelance faith columnist since Jan. 1, 2016, and I've never missed a week to provide thought-provoking content. Since then, the column has advanced into 38 states and numerous publications use my work, for which I'm grateful, but what you don't know is that I do not receive compensation. I've always stood firm in my conviction that a laborer is worthy of his hire (I Timothy 5:18); however, I'm also not implying the newspapers are disrespecting me, or that they think these messages are not worth the price of a cheeseburger. They just don't have the extra money in their budgets to pay me. I sympathize with the financial struggles of this industry, as technology is changing the way the younger generation keeps up with the news. So the idea is that I want to give you, the reader (whether you are a business owner or an individual), an opportunity to sponsor this column, and I would be glad to include your information in my tagline. As I continue to pray about the future of this column, I've always appreciated your encouraging correspondence and for reading "Living On Purpose."

Dr. Holland is an ordained minister, chaplain and Christian author. You can email him at psalmz103@gmail.com.