“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” (I Timothy 4:8 NLT) The present life seems to get a whole lot of our attention, but not always in a way that adds value to our lives in the long run. Some of the attention we give it is momentary - like good personal hygiene. It needs continual focus or the value of that 'hygiene' fades/wears away. Before long, we need to refocus on it once again. Our spiritual life is no different - it needs renewed focus from time to time because the effect of it has faded a bit or worn away. The more we focus on whatever gives lasting value (like the study of scripture or time in worship), the more we find the renewal we are experiencing isn't really our doing - it is God's. The value to us is realized because he has added it through getting to know Jesus just a bit better. For some of us, the life to come gets far less attention that the life we have in ...
Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both. (Proverbs 22:1-2 NLT) The beliefs or opinions one holds about another are usually the result of their behavior or how they have performed at some point. The same is true about how they 'see' us. It can be very biased when it only takes in certain behaviors and not all the others we might exhibit along the way. Time and circumstances may cause one to have a certain reputation, but it is possible it isn't a true picture of that individual at all - it is just what we saw at the moment that caused us to believe what we believe. A person can be said to be 'good' or 'bad' based on what we observe in their behavior. The value one places on another's behavior is based on what one believes about that behavior. If you are outspoken but the other is rather soft spoken, you make think them weak or timid...