Trusting God with Your Reputation
Been misunderstood, criticized unfairly, or had your name dragged through the mud? In this episode, discover how to follow Jesus' example by entrusting your reputation to God and focusing on faithfulness instead of fighting back.
Have you ever been hurt by what someone said about you, something that wasn't true, wasn't fair, or twisted who you really are?
When your reputation is attacked, everything in you wants to defend yourself, correct the record, and make sure everyone knows the real story. But that instinct can consume you. You replay conversations, craft responses in your head, and lose sleep over what people think. Over time, the need to be understood by everyone can steal your peace and pull your focus away from what God has actually called you to do.
In this episode, we look at David Green, founder of Hobby Lobby, whose name became a national target when his company took a stand based on religious convictions. Media attacked. Social media piled on. Millions formed opinions about a man they'd never met. But instead of fighting every battle in the court of public opinion, Green chose quiet faithfulness, trusting that God saw the truth even when critics didn't. Through his story and 1 Peter 2:23, you'll see that Jesus Himself didn't retaliate when insulted or threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. And He invites you to do the same.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why the instinct to defend yourself at every turn can actually work against your peace and witness
- How 1 Peter 2:23 shows us Jesus' response to unfair criticism, and what it means to leave your case in God's hands
- The freedom that comes from focusing on faithfulness instead of fighting for everyone's approval
Sometimes the most Christ-like response to unfair criticism isn't a louder defense, it's quiet integrity and trust in the only Judge whose verdict really matters.
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Track 1 00:00:01
"What's up?" A business owner watches his company's name
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get dragged through the mud on national news. David Green,
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founder of Hobby Lobby, built his business on Christian
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convictions, closing on Sundays, operating with integrity, and
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making faith-based decisions even when they weren't popular.
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But when the company refused to cover certain contraceptives in
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employee health plans based on religious beliefs, the backlash
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was fierce. Media outlets attacked him. Social media piled
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on. His name became a target. The case went all the way to the
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Supreme Court. And through it all, millions of people formed
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opinions about a man most of them had never met. In a moment
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like that, why wouldn't someone fight back, hire PR teams, and
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go on the offensive to clear his name?
Track 1 00:00:49
Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger. Have
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you ever been unjustly criticized or slandered? That's
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what we're talking about today. One of the hardest things to
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surrender to God: your reputation. The Apostle Peter
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helps us here. He says, "If you do what's right and you still
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suffer, try doing what Jesus did." 1 Peter 2: 23 says, "He
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did not retaliate when he was insulted nor threaten revenge
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when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who
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always judges fairly." Think about that for a The most
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innocent man who ever lived was mocked and falsely accused.
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People twisted his words. Religious leaders lied about him.
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The crowds who once cheered him turned and screamed for his
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crucifixion. And what did he do? Did he retaliate? And he didn't
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threaten revenge. He didn't launch a PR campaign or demand
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that everyone understand his side of the story. He left his
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case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. That's an
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incredibly hard thing to do. When someone misrepresents you,
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your instinct is to correct the record. When you're criticized
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unfairly, you want to defend yourself. When your name is
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being dragged through the mud, everything in you wants to fight
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back. But Jesus shows us a different way. He trusted that
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his Father saw the truth even when people didn't. He focused
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on faithfulness, not on winning every argument. He knew that the
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only verdict that ultimately matters is the one that comes
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from God. That doesn't mean you never speak up. There are times
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when clarifying the truth is wise and necessary. But there's
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a difference between calmly telling the truth and
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obsessively defending yourself. There's a difference between
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trusting God with your reputation and trying to control
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what everyone thinks of you. Some battles aren't yours to
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fight. Some critics aren't yours to convince. And some opinions,
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they just aren't worth chasing. And sometimes the most
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Christ-like thing you can do when you're attacked is to keep
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your mouth closed, keep doing what's right, and trust that God
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sees. Proverbs 19: 11 says, "Sensible people control their
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temper. They earn respect by overlooking wrongs." And Psalm
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6 promises, "He will make your innocence radiate like the
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dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the
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noonday sun." You see, God is able to vindicate you in ways
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you could never vindicate yourself. Your job isn't to make
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sure everyone understands you. Your job is to be faithful to
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what God has called you to do. Instead of fighting every battle
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in the court of public opinion, David Green chose to focus on
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faithfulness. He kept running his business with integrity,
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kept the doors closed on Sundays, and kept trusting that God saw
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the truth even when critics didn't. He said that his goal
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isn't to be liked by everyone, it's to be faithful to what he
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believes God called him to do. The rest, he leaves in God's
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hands. Sometimes the most Christ-like response to unfair
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criticism isn't a louder defense, His quiet faithfulness and
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trusting your reputation to the only judge whose verdict really
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matters.
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Maybe someone has said things about you that aren't true, and
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it stings. Maybe you've been tempted to fire back, to defend
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yourself at every turn, and to make sure everyone knows your
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side of the story. Here's what I want you to consider: What if
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you let go of the need to be understood by everyone, and
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focused instead on being faithful before God? What if you
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trusted Him to defend you in His way and in His timing? Here's
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today's challenge: Think of one situation where you've been hurt
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by unfair criticism or misunderstanding. Instead of
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rehearsing your defense or stewing over what was said, take
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it to God in prayer. Say something like, "Lord, I'm
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leaving this in your hands. You see the truth. Help me to focus
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on faithfulness instead of fighting for my reputation. I
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trust you to judge fairly." And then, as best you can do, let it
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go. Keep doing what's right. Keep walking with integrity. And
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trust that God is your defender. Lord, it's hard when people
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misunderstand us or say things that aren't true. Our instinct
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is to fight back and defend ourselves. To make sure that
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everyone knows the real story, but you've shown us a different
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way. Help us follow Jesus' example to not retaliate, not
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threaten, and to leave our case in your hands. Give us the peace
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that comes from trusting you as our defender. In Jesus' name.
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Amen. If you're walking through a season where your reputation
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has been attacked and you need prayer, I'd love to lift you up
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in prayer. Leave me a voicemail at
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DailyDevotionsForBusyLives.com/voicemail and I'll pray for you by name.
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Thanks for joining me on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.
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Remember, like Jesus, you can entrust your reputation to God
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and focus on faithfulness instead of defending yourself.
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Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live
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grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great
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day.
