Proverbs 22:1, “A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.”
Stop for a moment and think of someone who has a good name. Have you got the person’s pictured? Now what makes that person have a good name? Is it their generosity; their humility; their selflessness; their interest in others; their actions; their devotion; or is it their finances; their fame; their position in the community?
I trust that most of you who know someone with a good name do so by the attitude they have in Christ. That person knows the character Christ had and they respect their own frailty as human and put their trust in God for their achievements, their abilities and their possessions. Let us seek to have a good name rather than great riches; let us seek to have a good name rather than fame; and let us seek to have a good name rather than pride.
A good name cannot be found without an obedient heart to God; Let our hearts be contrite and ask God to make them right before Him. God knows you by name, is it a “Good Name?”
Prayer: Father, Christ gave up his divine rights to stay in Heaven and he took the position of a humble slave who was obedient to God and willingly died upon the cross. And because he did this in obedience, you gave him the place of highest honor and gave him a name above all names. One day soon at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD. We praise you for the Good name you give us to live by. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Abiding Still
This passage is often a topic of conversation at my home. We have experiences as I am sure all families have, where someone expects us to give more than we think we should or asks us to take less than what we think was owed to us. It's in these times that my children can get very frustrated. I have often heard them ask their daddy and myself, "Why don't you just tell them." My response is, "God can repay us more than man can ever steal from us. Trust Him, learn from Him in this experience and quiet yourself and your emotions you can respond as a representative of Christ." Joe will use this verse to remind the children that our name is more valuable than any gold or silver we could gain from the conflict. There are times we address issues with people regarding money but those are few and far between. It is vital that we teach our children through our own example that we are willing to do whatever is required so that our name is not a name associated with selfishness or unrighteous conduct.
ReplyDeleteWith much love,
Mrs. Joseph Wood