A Good Name (Daily Devotional)

Greetings and welcome to Living Supernaturally, thank you so much for giving us this wonderful opportunity once again to spend time in God's word and in prayer. Today, we'll talk about a good name. Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 1, ‘a good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.’ The word ‘name’ here simply means reputation, a standing or a general estimation or a recognition of a person. In ancient Israel, a person's name was intricately linked with his reputation and his standing in community. This verse emphasizes the superior value of maintaining good, respectable reputation. In a business world, where large profit margins seem to be the only objective, a commitment to having a good name is commendable. In a world with numerous temptations to cut corners or deliver less than promised, it's vitally important that as followers of Christ, we conduct business with integrity. The temptation to seek gold or silver, the profits as our top priority is the same today as it was in Solomon's day. Greater profits may come by way of dishonest weights, falsifying records and more, but when you and I get caught, the business is ruined. We cannot isolate ourselves from those around us. Our good name can be a special, valued asset worth more than the riches of the world. It is not suggesting that it is wrong to have a lot of money or possessions, wealth is not the culprit but how we obtain it matters. If we acquire riches at the expense of destroying our reputation then we have paid too high a price. Riches are worthless if in pursuing them, we ruin our character. Having a good name or honorable reputation is the result of developing inner character and living uprightly. Ruth's story proves that living with integrity builds a respectable reputation. When the Lord's loving kindness and faithfulness surround our hearts like a beautiful garland, we earn the favor of God and of others. This favor provides us with a good name. A good name such as this, is more desirable than all the money in the world. A good reputation comes from obeying God's word, living to please God and always striving to clear our conscience before God and people. Too often, our testimonies are negated by the way we do our business. Too often we put the Christian symbol on our business and yet deal dishonestly. Our good intentions and promises must be followed by actions of integrity. Christ's name is at stake, Jesus calls us to honesty. After honoring Him, we can sing, ‘Lord I Lift Your Name on High’ and really mean that. Let's pray, Father, we thank you for your word, thank you for teaching us today that a good name is greater than gold and silver and all the riches that we can earn. Help us to grow in Christlike character, teach us to walk with this godly character in our life, we commit each one of us into your hands, in Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

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