Warren Wiersbe says, “He who has the reputation of rising early may sleep til noon.”

The difference in reputation and character is that the latter is what you really are; reputation is what people think you are. If you have to choose, go for character every time.

But reputation is important, make no mistake. Ask any business owner.

No matter what great service a business produces, if its reputation in the community is not a good one, the enterprise goes under. That’s why companies go to such extremes to build positive reputations. They buy expensive media ads and have customers–or actors pretending to be such–tell of their great experience with this company. They pay big money to have their name on the stadium where football or baseball is played. They contribute to charity, but never secretly; they need the publicity. They’re trying to build a good reputation.

When Houston’s Enron Corporation went sour a few years back, one of the first things to happen was that the company’s name was removed from the Astro’s baseball stadium. The team could not afford for their image to be tied with a corrupt and bankrupt corporation.

Bible students will recall that even the Lord values His reputation.

In the wilderness, God was telling Moses He had had just about enough of these Israelites and was thinking of abandoning them then and there. The prophet responds, “Yes, and the pagans will say it was because you could get them into the wilderness but were unable to get them into the Promised Land. Are you sure you want that to happen, Lord?” And God said, “Well, all right. Let’s try it again.” (My version of Numbers 14:13-16)

When David sinned with Bathsheba and committed manslaughter to cover up his misdeeds, the prophet Nathan confronted him. Among the fallout from his wrongful actions, the man of God said, was that the “heathen are blaspheming the Lord.” (II Samuel 12:14) That mattered to the Lord. In fact, throughout the laws and ordinances of the Old Testament, one will find scattered references to treating pagans and aliens with grace and kindness as a witness to them.

Recently, while reading through Ezekiel, I was struck by how many times the Lord uses the phrase, “And they will know there is a God in Israel.” That Old Testament book is made up of 48 chapters, but 63 times we read that line, or a version of it. It mattered to God in Heaven that people knew He existed and that He was actively on the scene.

“You have a reputation that you live, but you are dead.” That line from Revelation 3:1 is God’s verdict upon the church at Sardis. He calls for them to “wake up and strengthen the things that remain.” In modern lingo, that might be: “Get back to the basics.” The best way to build a solid reputation–one that reflects the true situation–is to do well the fundamental things you were sent to do.

In stressing the importance of building a solid reputation, I feel the need to keep emphasizing that that alone is not enough. A politician who cheats on his wife may have built and nurtured a reputation as a defender of family values, but those who know him best know the sad reality of the situation. Better to have the character whether the reputation is there or not, if you have to choose. Ideally, go for both.

“Beware when all men speak well of you,” Jesus warned. (Luke 6:26) Note that the Lord simply said to “beware” or “watch out.” It could be good or it might be a danger sign. Just pay attention, He seems to have been saying.

When a pastor is new at a church–or an employee is fresh at his job–is a great time to begin building a reputation. This means that he will need to have identified the few virtues, some call them core values, which he wants to nail down and make certain that his people identify with him. A strong work ethic, a love for people, good disciplines of the Christian life (prayer, Bible, basic discipleship), a sense of humor, and a strong sense of who he is and what he is doing–these might comprise his list. So, he arrives in the office early, learns everyone’s names, blocks off time for prayer and Bible study, gets into the homes of his members–starting with the leadership first–and models the kind of Christian behavior he seeks to produce in the congregation. He is building a reputation.

And as Dr. Wiersbe pointed out, eventually, he can sleep until noon. He has built a reputation as an early riser.

What the public thinks of you will often determine whether they trust you. That’s why reputation or image is so important. However, public images are often fragile creatures. The least bit of bad publicity and they can vanish overnight. A slander campaign over a few days can undo a reputation built by many years of faithful service. The best counsel in such situations is to keep on doing right, get the truth out there the best you can, and hope that good sense will prevail.

What you do not want to do is to stoop to the level of the slanderers. Otherwise, you sacrifice your character for the sake of your reputation, and the price becomes far higher than you want to pay.

Build a good reputation, then try to protect it. But make certain that those who know you best–your co-workers, your employees, and particularly your family–are dead sure that underneath that great “name” is a solid basis in fact. That you are even better than your name.

I’ll never forget what the wife of a well-known Christian businessman said about him. Owen Cooper is the last layman to have served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He founded and led the Mississippi Chemical Company, a fertilizer corporation based in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and was a champion on many levels. After his death, when William Carey College in Hattiesburg was dedicating the Owen and Elizabeth Cooper School of Missions, Mrs. Cooper was one of the speakers. She said, “As fine a man as Owen was in the world, he was a far better man inside the four walls of our home.”

That’s about as good as it gets: great reputation, greater reality.