Battling a Bad Reputation

This devotion was taken from a book of devotions that my daughter, Megan Kimbrough, and I wrote years ago. The book is titled "Dancing Like a Shepherd Boy, Fighting Like a King." It was designed as a flip book for pre-teens. One half of the book was about the victories (dances) in David's life. The other half was about his struggles. Enjoy this devotion about one of his struggles – his reputation.

Sword of the Spirit

Answer me when I call, O God who declares me innocent.  Take away my distress.  Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.  How long will you people ruin my reputation?  How long will you make these groundless accusations?  How long will you pursue lies?

David's Battle:

One thing David really struggled with was his reputation.  Can you relate?  It seemed that there were always people around him who wanted to bring him down by talking badly about him.  They accused him of things that he hadn't done.  They wanted to ruin him so that others wouldn't respect him.  That's tough!  They told lies because lies were obviously more exciting than the truth.  The cool thing about this story is that David knew God still found him innocent.  He remembered that his reputation before God was the most important thing – not what others thought about him.  As long as he stayed focused on that, it didn't matter so much what others thought.

Strategic Questions:

Why do people want to ruin the reputation of others?
Have you ever done anything to damage your own reputation?
How is a reputation restored?

Putting On Your Armor:

When it comes to our reputations, we must walk very carefully.  People are always watching what we do and say once they know we're Christians.  Sometimes, even when we do the right things, we are falsely accused and our reputation goes downhill.  In those times, we must remember to call out to God and to remember that He still sees us as his child – pure and spotless.  We can learn from David's example on this one.  He didn't let the words of others tear him down.  Instead, he let God's opinion build him up!

S.O.S. (Speaking to Our Savior in prayer)

Dear Lord,

Thank you for caring about every part of my life, even my reputation.  When others talk badly about me, help me not to respond by talking bad about them.  Help me to forgive and to keep my reputation pure.   In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Which Side Are You On?  (Thought for the Day)

Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1)