Proverbs 22
I recently witnessed a large transaction (exchange of property for money) agreed upon through a simple handshake. No contracts, no paperwork, no problems. I was left in shock when I heard the reasoning of the two parties, “We are 'old school' where a good name and man’s word go a long way. A good name is defined by a man’s word.”
Call me a skeptic (or anything else) but I would NEVER go into a business deal on a simple handshake. I don’t care how good your name is. Yet v.1 tells us that a good name is more desirable than great riches.
I've struggled for a long time understanding what having a great name meant. When I was younger, I naively assumed that when someone was a Christian, it meant they were a good person, they were fair, honest, upright, faithful etc. Having the title of “Christian” after your name made you a favorable hire, or business partner or employee. Boy, have I gotten burned…
I want you to comment today on what "having a great name" is. What do you think it means? Let’s create a list of some characteristics of what having a great name looks like.
Clearly, we all want to have a great name, and Solomon tells us it’s of great value. Let’s help each other define what that looks like.
Blessings,
Pastor Adrian
Call me a skeptic (or anything else) but I would NEVER go into a business deal on a simple handshake. I don’t care how good your name is. Yet v.1 tells us that a good name is more desirable than great riches.
I've struggled for a long time understanding what having a great name meant. When I was younger, I naively assumed that when someone was a Christian, it meant they were a good person, they were fair, honest, upright, faithful etc. Having the title of “Christian” after your name made you a favorable hire, or business partner or employee. Boy, have I gotten burned…
I want you to comment today on what "having a great name" is. What do you think it means? Let’s create a list of some characteristics of what having a great name looks like.
Clearly, we all want to have a great name, and Solomon tells us it’s of great value. Let’s help each other define what that looks like.
Blessings,
Pastor Adrian
Posted in Proverbs Challenge
7 Comments
I have two answers:
1. I want people to say "You can count on Mike. He won't let you down." I want people to have faith I'll pay my debts, I'll be there on time, I'll accomplish the task, I'll do my share, I'll be a gentleman, etc. I don't want those to be questions or even hesitations in anyone's mind.
2. I want God to look at me and think, "He wears my image well". I want Him to be proud of His creation, and pleased with how I treat his other creations.
I love your final quote phrase; "He wears my image well."
A good reminder of Whom we represent here on this earth.
Humility, Integrity & Authenticity...these are the 3 traits that come to mind.
Most importantly; a Teachable Spirit!
Yes, I can sympathize with what your experiences have been, Pastor, I have given much grace and favor to those that claimed to be Christians, but have them disappointed me, greatly.
As far as my name, and I value that tremendously, I was raised with the belief that, like these business partners felt, that "your name is your bond". In other words, I believe that your name is a direct reflection of your integrity. Good or bad. Integrity is utmost important to me, as is my name and to not tarnish it- I can feel worthy of respect.
Integrity.
This exact topic was brought up in my household this week. My 14 year old, Evan, had an incident happen at school in which he had to react in a way that was VERY out of the ordinary for him.
I spoke to him about how his character is everything. Everything that you do and say adds up to who you are. Even though nobody came clean about what actually happened, Evan had his character and past action help in his defense. I feel it was a very good learning experience for him. He has reflected on why he should always do the right thing even when the right thing is the hardest thing to do. It warms my mama heart to see him grow and learn â¤ï¸
honesty, integrity, accountability, genuine, dependable
For me the qualities I want to be known for or remembered by is compassion, honesty and integrity and empathy.