TITLE: A GOOD NAME
SCRIPTURE: PROVERBS 22:1
I have been thinking much about growing older as various aches and pains continue to show up in my body. Time is not slowing down for any of us. Seems like yesterday we were young and full of energy and oftentimes wonder where the time went and how did it pass so quickly. I have even begun to take an inventory of my life to determine the adjustments I need to make now, before it is too late. If someone looks back on your life years from now, what will they remember about you? None of us will probably have our names in future history books; what will likely happen is that we will be remembered by those whose lives we have touched.
There's an old saying -- "if you want to know how to live your life, think about what you would like people to say about you after you die ... And live backward." The idea is that we earn our eulogy by our everyday actions. What do people think when they hear your name? Do they think of --
• Graciousness
• Godliness
• Integrity?
• Does your name bring cheerful thoughts to them?
• Are they encouraged by your presence?
• Or does your name bring thoughts of bitterness and harshness?
• Do they think you are rude or moody or ungrateful?
• Are you spoken about with respect and affection, or critically and negatively?
Solomon in this exciting text made a comparison between “A GOOD NAME” AND “GREAT WEALTH.” If we can only have one of these, it is far more important and worthwhile to have the “GOOD NAME.” Why did Solomon make this comparison? It was not just because both have value – though it is certainly true that both are worth a great deal. In addition to the fact that both have value, they are both Obtained - Maintained - Retained in much the same way.
The value of your name is in direct proportion to your character.
• A good name is more valuable than riches because it can’t be bought with money
• It has to be earned day by day by every decision you make
• It means living in such a way that earns the trust of others
There was a movie that came out over the holidays in 2006 entitled “Last Holiday” featuring Queen Latifa. She plays the character Georgia Byrd a shy, unassuming salesperson in the cookware department at Kragen's Department Store in New Orleans and a Baptist choir singer. During the Christmas season, she bumps her head. Taken to the store's health center for a CT Scan, she is told by the company physician she has several brain tumors resulting from a rare terminal neurological disorder. Georgia resigns herself to having only a few weeks to live. She quits her job, liquidates her assets, and sets off on a dream vacation at the deluxe hotel in the Czech Republic.
• She checks into the Presidential Suite
• Buys a designer wardrobe in expensive boutiques
• She makes extensive use of the hotel's spa facilities
• Attempts snowboarding
• Enjoys succulent meals prepared by a world-renowned Chef
After all of this lavish living and spending she receives a fax that the Physician made a mistake, and she has no tumors, and she is very healthy after all. Can I ask you a question this morning? What would you do if told you had a few months or a year to live? Would it change your life? Of course, it would. But what would you do with the time you had left? Would you --
• Go wild
• Lose control, and do anything you want without conscience?
• Sulk and have a big pity party?
• Sit around feeling sorry for yourself in depression?
• Drink and eat more than is reasonable?
We are a product of what we have already been and done in our lifetime.
• If we did little with our life, we would probably do more of the same - only intensified
• We would likely continue the same habits
• If we lived a life of substance; we would work at being the best we could be with the time we had left
If we are living a life of value, we would smell the roses, waste less time on things that have no meaning - value our friendships more, - and work harder at things that count and have meaning in our lives.
• Our love for those vital to our lives would grow even more
• We would start seeing more positivity and less negativity in this world
• We would care more about those in need and help those we can
• We would not want to waste a single day and appreciate each day for what it is - a miracle
Would we stop learning and growing as a person? I don't think so. We will continue to do the same as we are now, but only with the awareness that time is short. One area that does seem to change for people in this situation is their spiritual life. Most of us don't want to give much thought to the dreaded 'life after death.' If told the end is near, we will naturally think about it. Gaining a sense of oneness with our Creator certainly is a comfort. Maybe it's the most important thing anyone can do in this situation or any situation.
• There is no lasting Peace and Comfort with Money
• There is no lasting Pride in Achievements or Titles
• There is no lasting joy in Hobbies, or endless TV
We receive a name at birth and then spend the rest of our lives attaching value to it. Someone can be rich but possess a terrible reputation – such was the case of Bernie Madoff -- mastermind of the largest known ponzi scheme in history, worth an estimated $65 billion. He was at one time Chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Ultimately given 150 years in prison where he died some years ago.
Others follow the advice of PROVERBS 3:3-4 “LET NOT MERCY AND TRUTH FORSAKE YOU; BIND THEM AROUND YOUR NECK, WRITE THEM ON THE TABLET OF YOUR HEART, AND SO FIND FAVOR AND HIGH ESTEEM IN THE SIGHT OF GOD AND MAN.” I believe Truett Cathy who was the founder of Chick-Fil-A. On his desk was displayed a Bible verse with our morning text on it -- PROVERBS 22:1 “A GOOD NAME IS TO BE CHOSEN RATHER THAN GREAT RICHES, LOVING FAVOR RATHER THAN SILVER AND GOLD.”
• That was his life verse which influenced all his decisions
• What was important to him was not sales growth, stock dividends, wealth, but it was a good reputation
• That’s why the company is still closed on Sunday’s even today to allow employees to go to Church and spend time with their families
How are you making other people feel as you navigate your daily life? Do you cause those you encounter to feel better about themselves and the world around them? Or are you giving off a vibe that is, at best, neutral or even a little negative?
• People want to be remembered for different reasons
• Some people wish to leave a lasting legacy
• Others may want to know how they make others feel and how those around them treat them
• Others want to be remembered for being --
o Selfless
o Caring
o Compassionate
o Kind
o Loving
o Patient
o Understanding
Ultimately, people remember others depending on their Actions – Character - Impact on others. How do you want to be remembered? Everything you do every day contributes toward your reputation. Be on guard about every choice you make. Ask yourself, “will this decision help or hurt my reputation?” This is why we read in PROVERBS 22:3 “AVOID EVEN THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL.” Not that you are doing Evil – Not that you are being Evil – You just like to hang around it. Avoid even the Appearance.
• ECCLESIASTES 10:1 “DEAD FLIES PUTREFY THE PERFUMER’S OINTMENT, AND CAUSE IT TO GIVE OFF A FOUL ODOR; SO DOES A LITTLE FOLLY TO ONE RESPECTED FOR WISDOM AND HONOR”
• This means we must be constantly ruling your spirit
So you have worked hard to achieve a good name. How do you keep it? Warren Buffet, “it takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”
• We keep a good name by remembering who we are, followers of Jesus Christ
• We commit to doing what is right at all times
• As these verses say, we take care of those who can’t take care of themselves
Although I did not live in Oklahoma at the time, I did not move here until the year after the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing, however; I do remember it was not long after the bombing I noticed the Ryder Truck Rental Company changed the color of their trucks to white. I believe it’s possibly because they didn’t want anyone to associate their company with the bombing. Of course, the company had nothing to do with it but one of their big yellow trucks was used in the bombing, afterwards they went into a rebranding.
The Apostle Paul experienced this ‘Rebranding” as he was known as Saul, but the Lord changed his name not long after entering into the ministry. Possibly because his fame as Saul the persecutor preceded. Or perhaps God did not want him to be associated with Saul the first king of Israel that turned away from God.
• Whatever the reason was is not important, but he wanted a good name
• Now it’s really not the name itself that matters
• The name Paul is no better than the name Saul
• But the reputation that goes with that name
• People no longer name their kids JUDAS because of the reputation of that name
• I have never met a woman named JEZEBEL because of the reputation of that name
So how do we get a good name? Companies spend billions of dollars on commercials telling us how good their products are because they want us to trust them. If they are proven to be untrustworthy, they lose business and billions of dollars because they have developed a bad name, they’ve developed a bad reputation.
To get a good name we must be a person of character, we must develop a good reputation, and we must be trustworthy. Your name represents who you are.
• Would anyone want to do business with ENRON?
• Would you do business with the TRUMP ORGANIZATION?
• It has taken MARTHA STEWART years to rebuild her reputation and business. In 2004, she was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone Stock Trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005
We as Christians have taken the name of Christ, that’s why it’s so important that we be very careful how we live. We need to do everything we can to have a good testimony because we are ambassadors for Christ, we represent Him, and so we need to be men and women of character. For the most part, a man’s reputation is based on his character.
• A man’s character is known by his conduct and his speech
• Christ said, “EVERY GOOD TREE BEARS GOOD FRUIT; BUT THE BAD TREE BEARS BAD FRUIT. A GOOD TREE CANNOT PRODUCE BAD FRUIT, NOR CAN A BAD TREE PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT”
o As a Pastor I am not here to determine who is Saved and who isn’t
o As a Pastor I have no right to judge anyone
o I am Just a Fruit Inspector
What kind of fruit are you producing in your life?
• Does your name shame you - or bring you honor?
• Does your name shame your family - or bring them honor?
• Even more importantly does your name Honor - or Dishonor God?
The reason a good name is better than riches? in the end we have to deal with God, and riches do not impress him. PSALM 50:10-12 “FOR EVERY BEAST OF THE FOREST IS MINE, AND THE CATTLE UPON A THOUSAND HILLS. I KNOW ALL THE FOWLS OF THE MOUNTAINS: AND THE WILD BEASTS OF THE FIELD ARE MINE. IF I WERE HUNGRY, I WOULD NOT TELL THEE: FOR THE WORLD IS MINE, AND THE FULNESS THEREOF.” PSALM 24:1 “THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, AND THE FULNESS THEREOF; THE WORLD, AND THEY THAT DWELL THEREIN.”
• God loves the upright man who fears Him and who walks before His face
• Our fate, in this life and the next, rests in His hands
• Therefore, if you have to choose between a good reputation and wealth, choose a good reputation, a good proxy for keeping God’s Law
--Do not ever underestimate the value of your name and the way that being a good man or woman brings you the favor of others
--It is something that no one can estimate with a calculator
--The blessing that comes with it will not only last a lifetime - but often will be remembered long after we have left this world
