Walk in Wisdom

Reputation is Not Righteousness

Ruth 3:14

So she lay at his feet until morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 

It is the pilgrim’s mission to avoid evil at all costs, not to avoid the appearance of evil.

Consider that there are instances in our lives of faith where advancement toward the good isn’t possible without the appearance of impropriety. Sometimes a good and noble venture will spark suspicion if viewed from the wrong angle or out of context. “A good name is better than gold,” says the Proverb, but a good conscience makes even gold look like coal in comparison. And never forget that biblical history is lined with saints who did what was right in the eyes of God but were deemed wicked in the eyes of men.

During the reign of Marcus Aurelius in the third Century A.D., pagan mobs dragged Christians into amphitheaters and began a mass persecution effort, but their reason for doing so was the craziest part. They had misunderstood the principle of Communion, interpreting all the Christian verbiage of partaking of the Lord’s Body and Blood as a cannibalistic rite. Which is why a prominent Christian martyr named Attalus of Lyons called out these final words to his assailants before dying, “Now you see who the real cannibals are!” But think of the numerous accounts like this in the Bible. Think of Joseph being cast into Potiphar’s dungeon under suspicion of adultery. And think of Pharisees calling Jesus a blasphemer because he healed people on the Sabath and encouraged Jews to pay taxes to Caesar and dined with prostitutes and sinners. Think of how the church elders first suspected Peter when they got wind that he’d been eating unclean meat with a group of Gentiles. And think of Jesus’ mother, Mary, having to spend her entire life under the heavy cloud of suspicion regarding Christ’s conception. Oh, let the world do its talking! Let the media muppets spin their stories however they will. Let the devils twist the tale a thousand different ways. As for you, just keep following Boaz’s example and doing what’s right in the eyes of God.

Friend, make it a habit to avoid the appearance of evil in the eyes of men wherever you can, but make it your ambition to do God’s will regardless.