A Good Name

Proverbs 22:1-6

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.  The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all.  The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.  The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.  Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.  Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

What is a “good name,” is it not the character of a person, and how he will be remembered.  Having a degree from a prestigious college such as Harvard or Yale does not mean the person will have integrity or ethics; some of the greatest fools have gone there.  Making millions and owning many homes, might mean you are in the U. S. Congress, but we all have seen the asses they make of themselves, but do they have a “good name,” very few of them?  But a wise man will choose to be a person of ethics, who put God first, the family next, his work and his ministry is a big part of this life each day.  That will be a person of value to those whose life they touch.

When it comes to what class a person falls into we must understand that the ground at the cross is level, there is no class structure in God's eyes.  You may need to read Galatians 3:28.

A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but often we read about the inexperienced who pay the price of both income and sometimes their lives.

“The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”

“There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners an the sinners who think they are righteous.”  (Blaise Pascal)  Blaise’s pen that quoted in the 1600s and it was right then and now.

“ Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.”  Each person has to guard his soul and keep far from the thorns and snares that invite you to fall into the hands of the evil one.  It may be many things, and the question I ask often is will that take me away from the mission God has given me?  If so, do not walk but run from it for it has a plan to steal your heart from God’s best.

And last is one that many a parent believes they dropped the ball for it seems that teenagers are doing everything you taught them not to do.  Yes, verse six;   ^“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Often it is said that they do not look at the word old, for often the parents are dead and gone before the results are seen in the training.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice