Character

It's a wonderful thing to have a good reputation. Your reputation is what people think of you. It's who you are when others are watching. A reputation takes a lifetime to build, but it can be lost in a moment. One stupid act might wreck and destroy a reputation. However, reputation is not the most important. In the book of Revelation, chapter 3, Jesus speaks to the church in Sardis. The church is seen as having a great reputation. Outwardly they are respected. Them seem to be doing the right things. And yet, Jesus says, "I know your works, you have a name of being alive, but you are dead." The church had a good reputation but was lacking in character. Not everyone in Sardis had this problem. There were some in the church who understood that if you take care of your character your reputation will take care of itself. Jesus says, "Yet you have still a few persons in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy."
Reputation is what you are supposed to be; character is what you really are. If we are consumed with building a good reputation but neglect our character then we are simply playing games. John Wooden, legendary basketball coach for UCLA says, "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what other people think you are." God could careless about our reputation. But God is deeply concerned about our character. It has been said, "Reputation is what people will say about you at your funeral. Character is what the angels say about you before the throne of God.