“A good name means you stand for something good, and you are willing to suffer loss for what’s right.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 10, 2022
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1
Are you willing to sacrifice a clear conscience for the gain of great riches? Is it worth diluting your influence and soiling your reputation? What price can you put on your good name? It is your most valuable asset, because it says you are not willing to sell out at any price. A noble name is a like a rare gold coin from antiquity: priceless and desirable. Like David, apply appropriate actions. “David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So, his name was highly esteemed” (1 Samuel 18:30b, NASB).
What is a good name? It is given by God; for God. A good name makes sure to give God the glory for its good deeds. Its fortress is the fear of the Lord, which keeps out unwanted influences. A good name follows through with what it says. It is neither passive aggressive or aggressive passive for it is forthright in both speech and motives. A good name means you stand for something good, and you are willing to suffer loss for what’s right. You believe God blesses obedience, and not manipulation for money’s sake.
How do you keep your good name intact? Humility and honor are twin pillars that support the edifice of a respectable reputation. No matter what degree of success you experience, you are quick to share the limelight with the Lord and those who contributed to your good fortune. When we grasp for the credit, we discredit our leadership. It is in giving that we get to grow our good name. Humility is the hinge on which honor turns.
Honor God and man, and your name will be honored. Respect is reciprocal. For example, you honor a contract, even when circumstances have changed to the negative. You are willing to lose a new lease, because you promised your tenant a 30-day notice. The Lord blesses landlords that keep their word and who long to do the right thing. Indeed, your honor and good name depend on God, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge” (Psalm 62:7). My aim is to keep a clear conscience as fruit from my good name. How priceless indeed is a good name along with a clear conscience! Oswald Chambers describes in detail the result of a Good Name is a clear conscience:
“I am in the habit of steadily facing myself with God, my conscience will always introduce God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The point is, will I obey? I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I walk without offence. I should be living in such perfect sympathy with God’s Son, that in every circumstance the spirit of my mind is renewed, and I “make out” at once “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” God always educates us down to the scruple. Is my ear so keen to hear the tiniest whisper of the Spirit that I know what I should do? “Grieve not the Holy Spirit.” He does not come with a voice like thunder; His voice is so gentle that it is easy to ignore it. The one thing that keeps the conscience sensitive to Him is the continual habit of being open to God on the inside. When there is any debate, quit. “Why shouldn’t I do this?” You are on the wrong track. There is no debate possible when conscience speaks. At your peril, you allow one thing to obscure your inner communion with God. Drop it, whatever it is, and see that you keep your inner vision clear.”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for joyful peace—the fruit of a good name and a clear conscience, through Christ’s love, and in His name I pray, amen.
Application
What attitude or action do I need to repent of that is robbing me of a clear conscience?
Related Reading
1 Kings 1:47; Ecclesiastes 7:1; Luke 2:52; Acts 10:22
Worship Resource
Hillsong United: What a Beautiful Name
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