AVOID REPROACH

Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? —Nehemiah 5:9

I used to work at a shipyard and one day there was a specific situation that brought reproach from an unsaved person. A fellow who professed to be a Christian was looking at a pornographic magazine on his lunch break when this lost person walked by, saw what he was looking at and said, “I thought you were a Christian. Why are you looking at that?”

As believers we are forgiven people, but we are not perfect people. Still, we are to seek to live holy lives so we do not give people opportunity for reproach— 1. to find fault with (a person, group, etc.); blame; censure. 2. to upbraid. 3. to be a cause of blame or discredit to. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reproach?s=t You and I are to live in such a way as to “give the enemy no occasion for reproach…” (I Timothy 5:14).

In the context of the verse above, fellow Jews did not have food to eat. Some were mortgaging their fields, homes and vineyards to buy food. Still there were others that had to borrow money to even pay the king’s tax. Sons and daughters were being subjected to slavery. These things were not right and could bring reproach.

How about us? Are we living in such a way as to avoid reproach? Do others mock God because of the way we live? Is our testimony before the lost one that honors the Lord or brings reproach upon Him? Oh, that we would live holy lives that would avoid reproach. May it be so!

Dear Father, please help me though Your Holy Spirit to live faithfully as to not bring reproach. May I live in the authority of Jesus and to honor His Name.