In the
Roman Empire, pagans would often call on the name of a god or goddess as they
placed bets in a game of chance. A favorite deity of the gambler was Aphrodite,
the Greek word for Venus, the goddess of love. During the roll of the dice,
they would say “epaphroditus!” literally, “by Aphrodite!”
In the
book of Philippians we read of a Greek convert to the Christian faith by the
name of Epaphroditus. He was a close companion of Paul who served him well in
his missionary enterprise. Of his friend, Paul wrote: “Epaphroditus, my
brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier” (Phil. 2:25).
Epaphroditus
was a spiritual brother in Christ, a faithful worker who shared ministry
efforts, a brave soldier of the faith, and the carrier of the inspired letter
to the church at Philippi. He modeled brotherhood, a work ethic, spiritual
endurance, and service. Certainly, Epaphroditus had a well-deserved reputation
that showed he did not live by a pagan deity but by faith in Jesus Christ.
Even more
important than our name are the Christian qualities that are seen in our life:
dependability, care, encouragement, and wisdom. What words would you like
others to use to describe you?
If we
take care of our character,
our reputation will take care of itself! (RBC)
our reputation will take care of itself! (RBC)
