What’s Your Reputation?

2006 at 3:06 pm   |   by Carolyn Mahaney
Filed under Biblical Womanhood Good Works

What one word best describes your perception of the following women?

Lucille Ball

 

Mother Teresa

 

Rosa Parks

Madonna

Michelle Kwan

Gloria Steinem

 

Now, whether your depiction was favorable or unfavorable, the common feature of all of these women is that they have a reputation. And though we may never have given it much thought, we do too.

So what are we known for? How would our family and friends describe us?

Scripture has already defined what a godly woman’s reputation is to be.  As Nicole pointed out yesterday from 1 Timothy 2:9-10, we are to be known for our good works. And what is so helpful, the first epistle to Timothy goes on to provide an actual list of good works to which we are to be devoted. We find this list in 1 Timothy 5:9-10:

Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.

This verse explains which widows are eligible to receive help and care from the church if they have no other means of support. Now if you are not a widow who is sixty years of age or older, you may be wondering how this verse applies to you. Consider for a moment: If a sixty-something widow is to have a reputation for the good works found in this passage, then she must have been giving herself to them when she was young. Wouldn’t you agree?!

So regardless of our age or our marital status, let’s see to it that we are working on our good works! Let’s make for ourselves a reputation for…

• Bringing up children
• Showing hospitality
• Washing the feet of the saints
• Caring for the afflicted
• Devoting ourselves to every good work

We will spend the next few days considering how we can excel in these good works.