July 22

Jul 22 – Today from Proverbs 22 we look at verse 1
"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."

Your name is much more than the few words of which people use to address you. I looked up the word 'name' in the concordance and they list these adjectives; "honor, authority, character, position". When the people who know you hear or speak your name, these characteristics come into play in their thought processes. Are you an honorable person? That means are you deserving of respect. Are you a person who is worthy of having authority? Some people with authority demand respect, but they don't deserve respect. A person with a good name is humble in carrying authority and deserves the respect of those who serve with them. Good character is critical to having a good name. Good character is defined by the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. All of these characteristics are attributed to having a good name. Your name is more than what others call you by; it is the essence of who you are.
Philippians 2:9, 10 says that God exalted Jesus to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, and at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. This has little to do with the five-letter English translation of the word J-E-S-U-S. His name is translated into scores of different languages from the original name of Jehoshua, which itself is a translation from the Greek alphabet, which most of us would not even recognize. The spelling and pronunciation are not what every creature will be bowing to. It will be the honor, authority, character and position of Jesus to which we will be bowing - it is above ALL other positions of honor, authority and character. There is no other name, nor will there ever be, equal to that of Jesus Christ. And one day this will become perfectly clear and evident to all of creation, even the devil and his demons and all who follow them. Every knee will bow before His Majesty, the eternal Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Some knees will bow in great joy. Others in great fear and trepidation. The knees that will bow in joy will be the knees that bow now. Those who refuse to bow now, will one day bow in fear, realizing the horrible fate that awaits them.
I often wonder; what if Jesus took His eyes off his mission and thought to establish Himself in this life? With His wisdom, influence and abilities, He could have amassed wealth far beyond that which even Solomon had. But Jesus stayed focused. He developed and maintained a 'good name' even up to His trial and crucifixion. Even His greatest enemies could find no wrong in Him. They hounded Him, kept him under surveillance, tried to trip Him up, and even attempted to bring false witnesses against Him. They dared not arrest Him in public because Jesus had such a good name with the crowds of people. Jesus never used His position to gain great riches, but He left this earth with a good name. And, amazingly, He gave us authority to use His name. Now we are challenged to value a good name more than wealth and riches and silver and gold. We have two names to think about. Our name, and His name. They are bonded. When we received His name 'Christian', we received salvation, new and eternal life, citizenship in heaven, and the Fatherhood of God Himself. We also took on the responsibility to keep His Name pure. To represent His character to the world - both as individuals and as the church. We don't always do so good - thank God for His mercy. But, as His disciples, we are to grow in character. We should be better at representing His character today than we were last year, or last month. When we commit to keep His Name lifted up, we see our own name lifted up. Many around us do not know the Name of Jesus, but when they see us living in His character, they know His name at least in part, because they know our name. When Jesus walked the earth the crowds did not follow Him because He was handing out money to them. They followed Him because they recognized that He had authority and compassion. He cared for them, and He taught them a message about love, forgiveness and truth.
The old saying about wealth goes, "You can't take it with you." That is very true. What you will take with you is your name - in the most literal sense. Your name is who you are.