A Good Name

Rather than if you've watched the news in recent times, you've probably noticed that the headlines are full of names of various individuals. Some famous, and some not quite as famous, but if you've turned on the news in the past week or two, you'll see the names of various actors. Maybe Hollywood directors, sports icons, news personalities, professionals from all walks of life, various different professionals in high-up positions. And these names of these individuals have been brought out into the headlines, and essentially they're individuals that have either lost their reputation, or they're struggling to hold on to their reputation in light of various accusations that have been brought against them.

Just this past week on Tuesday, CBS News, PBS, and Bloomberg Television all fired 75-year-old Charlie Rose in wake of a Washington Post article that ran in which eight women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and unwanted advances. And Charlie Rose did actually speak out in some response to that and publicly acknowledged, at least to a degree, some of the accusations that were brought against him and offered his sincere apologies in that way. Charlie Rose has been recognized over the years. I've not followed him much personally, but he's been on the news in terms of a presenter, a broadcaster for a number of years. And he's generally been recognized as a credible source, as somebody who is highly respected as a broadcast journalist. He has a self-named television show that's aired on PBS since 1991, and Charlie Rose in recent years has been one of the co-hosts of the CBS Morning News Show. So a highly respected, well-known individual with decades of building a career, building a name for himself, and then very quickly, as accusation comes, and again, he's admitted to at least some of this, it's just amazing how quickly a reputation can be diminished. How quickly a name can be tarnished. And so for me, as I've not followed all of this very closely, but again, you flip on the news, and it seems like there's a new name that comes up every day. Or I get on the check my email, and on the news page on my email, there's a new name that's come up. Again, somebody who's generally recognized as a respected individual, now there's these allegations that have been brought against them. And I'm not saying that. All of them are accurate. I have no way of knowing. But at least some of them have been admitted to and acknowledged. And what struck me about it is, you know, besides the disappointment or the disgust of the situation, what has really struck me has been just how quickly a reputation can go from being a good name, someone who's acknowledged in a good light, again, to someone now who is tarnished, and their reputation essentially ruined. I mean, one moment, you're at the top of your game, you're the your famous sports player, maybe you're a professional in your company, a CEO, you're a director, you're an actor, and then, like that, everything changes.

Now, a good name that you spent decades building in a very short time becomes destroyed. I'd like to begin today in Ecclesiastes chapter 10 and verse 1. I'll look today at what the Bible has to say about a good name, about what it takes to build one and maintain one, and what it is, brethren, that you and I should consider in our life as we seek to build a good name. Ecclesiastes chapter 10 and verse 1, I think this speaks to the situations that have been arising in the news in recent times.

Ecclesiastes 10.1, it says, Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, and they'll cause it to give off a foul odor. It's like you have this ointment that's been carefully prepared, it's perfumed, it smells good, those who would be around it enjoy that aroma, and it brings a level of delight. And yet it says here very quickly, over one mishap, flying the ointment, suddenly there's a smell that nobody wants to be around. It says, as 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. And so it really doesn't take much to ruin a good reputation. A person can be known as wise, as honorable, someone who has a good name, and again, because of some misstep, maybe we're not talking about a minor mistake, but we're talking about a serious lack in judgment, but something that they did, now suddenly this mishap has contaminated their name. A brief moment of indiscretion, a moment of stepping out of bounds, is like the fly that's now died in the ointment, and a good reputation, and all that was associated with it comes tumbling down. Here again, the proverb just simply says, this is what can happen so quickly with just a little folly to one who is respected for wisdom and honor. Warren Buffett once said, it takes 20 years to build a good reputation and five minutes to ruin it. Decades of work, decades of doing the right thing, putting one foot in front of the other, being wise, being honorable, decades, as he says, 20 years to build a good reputation and five minutes to ruin it. And he goes on to say, if you think about that, you'll do things differently. In other words, if you think about the reputation that you carry, the name that hopefully you've been able to establish and what it is that it represents, you'll begin to think about your decisions, your actions, in light of, does this reflect something good, or does this reflect something negative on my reputation, on my name? We think about being a Christian and what that represents. And we say, okay, that's tied to my name. Now, these decisions that I would make in a public eye or even private when nobody's looking, is it a good representation? Does it strengthen the good name that I carry, or does it take away from it? Again, Warren Buffett just said, you know, if you think about those things, you'll do things differently. George Washington said, a reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was. So whatever was your deficiency, whatever that mistake was that you made, you know, with a good track record for years afterwards, maybe you can rebuild to a degree your name, your reputation, but he says, you know what, the world's always going to be looking for that weakness, for that deficiency. And they're going to be looking in a way that they would have never looked at the occurrence not happened to begin with. Rather than a person with a good reputation, again, it's a track record of years and decades over time, a person with a good reputation has something that they've earned, but it's something that can be lost quickly by missteps, by misappropriating our words and our actions, by acting even at times out of weakness. And it could be something that may never be recovered from.

How important is a good name to you?

How important is a good name to you? How important is it to you what people think when they hear your name?

If I say the name Charles Ponzi, what comes to mind? Charles Ponzi. Does that sound like someone you want to invest your life savings with? Charles Ponzi? Now you think of the Ponzi scheme. You think of a thief. You think of somebody that cheated people out of millions of dollars of their hard-earned money, people who were maybe even near retirement, elderly people, who could never recover again, what it was that they'd lost. Charles Ponzi's gone. He's dead. But when we hear his name, there's an association that comes, and it's related to his reputation.

How about Benedict Arnold? Benedict Arnold died on June 14, 1801. So he's been dead for 216 years. You think he's long gone. He's forgotten. Benedict Arnold. Does that sound like someone you'd like to share your most intimate secrets with?

When we think of Benedict Arnold, we think of Trader. We think of somebody who sold secrets from his country, who switched sides, somebody who was trusted but then became the enemy. And again, it's a concept of a reputation that's attached to a name. So the question is, once again, how important is a good name to you, and how important is the reputation that people think of when they hear your name? A good name, and the reputation that's attached to it, it's not just about the letters that spell out the name, thankfully. If you grew up with the last name of Moody, you might have an idea that that can open you up for all kinds of teasing, jokes. I heard it in grade school. I heard it through my life and even into my adult life. Oh, are you Moody today? What's your name? I'm Paul Moody. Oh, Moody Blues. It's something that just kind of brings out the teasing in people, I suppose. My wife, her maiden name was Hendrickson, and as she'll tell you, there's not a whole lot you can do with Hendrickson in terms of teasing. But she was 31 years old when we got married, and she went from Hendrickson to Moody, and she was shocked that as an adult, people teased her about her last name, Moody. But again, it's not the letters that are associated with the word, and it's not the word itself, thankfully, but it's the reputation that's attached to the name. What do people think when they hear your name? What do they think when they hear my name? Something we should always be conscious and aware of. Let's go to Proverbs 22 as we consider the concept of the importance of our name.

Proverbs 22, we're going to begin in verse 1. Here, Wisdom for the Ages.

Proverbs 22 and verse 1. It says, So how important should a good name be to you? I was going to say it should be very important. In Proverbs 22, verse 1 says, And so a good name is actually a choice that we make. It's an option in life, decisions to make, and we choose the things that will lead to a good reputation and a good name. It's a choice. It's not something that just happens to us. It's not just handed to us, generally. Now, when we're born, we may have an honorable family name that's attached to our parents or grandparents. And now you're generally told as you grow up, you have a good name to live up to. But a reputation is something that we have to work for and we have to earn. It's not just given to us in that way. So here, Proverbs says, Good names to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.

So from one hand, you have the option of all kinds of riches. Gold, silver, diamonds, Icelandic horses. Got to relate it to people we know, right? Fast cars, whatever it might be, big house, whatever this riches you could have on this hand. And on the other hand, the option is a good name. Integrity.

Highly respected reputation. Loving favor amongst God and men. And it says, if you have a choice to make here and you could choose one of them, which would you choose? Well, the Bible says that good name should be the choice. You choose the latter. Now, the scripture is not condemning wealth, all right? It's not condemning riches, but the point is it is about priorities. And what it is that we should go after as the higher priority. Is it riches in wealth at any cost, including our reputation? Or is it doing the right thing, building a good name, and then what follows follows? Clearly, that's what God would intend. A good name is more valuable than all the money in the world. In fact, it can't be bought. These people that you see on television, those that the news are reporting on, I would say they're quite wealthy by our standards. All right? But if you have a ruined reputation, all the money in the world won't buy that back. You couldn't buy that even to begin with. A good reputation has to be earned. And as the Proverbs said, it is choice. And it's more than one choice. It is choices. Day by day, year by year, decade by decade as you walk through life, it's decision by decision. All the choices we make each and every day has potential for consequences. We need to think those things through from perspective of how God's called us to live and how it is that we are to maintain our good name before God and man. Many of the individuals, again in the news, with the riches and the wealth, unfortunately seemed at some point and at some level to forsake the integrity along the way. Now what's interesting is, at least what I've noticed, those who have a good name, those who have worked hard and built a good reputation, generally, decent financial standing follows because they've been successful, because people say they can be counted on because of their ability and their reputation in that way. So it's not like you can have one but not the other. The point is, what we chase after and what is to be important in terms of a high priority is indeed to be our good name and our representation, not only of ourselves but God as well. And we'll look at that in a bit.

Proverbs 28, verse 6, I'll just quote it for you. It says, Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways though he be rich.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways though he be rich.

Interestingly enough, those who have lost integrity, lost their name, what is it now that stands at risk? It's their finances. It's their wealth in many ways.

I'd encourage young people among us to consider the fact that you can affect the reputation that you will carry with you the rest of your life at a very young age.

I've heard before stories of, you know, we're looking around for somebody to fill a slot and somebody else says, Well, you can't use them. They stole gum from the store when they were, you know, 12. So, well, that was 35 years ago. But somebody remembers that. But the point is as well, how has that person lived since? Hopefully those that would know such circumstances then would recognize, All right, this was a youth and discretion of youth and this person's grown and matured through the years. But again, the things that we do in our youth can stick with us, can have an impact long after we've outgrown those things. People see and people remember. And the encouragement, again, is for the young people, start today by the choices you make, thinking about the reputation and the name that you build. It's essential as we walk through this life. A good name, as we'll come to see, has lasting value. In fact, even more than that, it has eternal value. A good name will continue to stand even after the finances and the wealth of this age pass away.

Someone who has a good name is highly valued. They're highly respected for being trustworthy. They're considered someone who is honest and above reproach. And that's something that you and I should strive for. We should be those who are known by our name, not just sounds of the letters, not just a pronunciation, but what it is that our name carries in terms of the meaning of who we are and how it is that we live our life. Over the years, as I ran my landscape business, I sold it two years ago now, but I had that business for 22 years. And over the years, as I ran that business and Darla ran her business with the horses, we've always tried to be careful to build a good name and a good reputation for our businesses. And not just because it was a money-making venture, but when you're self-employed, as some of you know, when you're self-employed, your business is an extension of who you are. You know, when someone does business with your business, they're doing business with you. And so, in many ways, your character and how it is that you conduct yourself are built into the values of that business. And so, we always try to be very careful to present an image of being dependable and honest and reliable in our dealings. Our customers knew that we were closed on the Sabbath. They knew that we took the holy days. In fact, over the years, I had various customers that were with me for almost 20 years. In fact, I think I had a couple that were from the beginning. But I came to the point I didn't have to say much when it came to the fall and get into late September and they start asking me, Isn't it time for you to leave? What are you doing here? Don't you have your church festival that you go to this time of year? And it was just kind of like part of the natural rhythm. They remembered when fall came, I was gone. And again, those are things that we tried to build into our business. And the point was building a reputation for our business that then people would want to call and hire you because you would show up. You would treat them honorably. You would build them an honest billing. And that was part of the name that was attached to the businesses that we put our efforts into running.

There are often times over the years when I think about it that I would have had opportunity if I wanted to, just, you know, maybe skim a little off the top. You bid something for a job. You say, it'll take this many man hours, so this is the price that you give.

And you go out and do the job and you finish it maybe half the time. It'd been so easy just to kind of cook the numbers up a little bit. You're billing by man hours, but just add a little more. That's what they were expecting anyway and send the bill. They might not have ever known. I think back on a customer that I had who managed, or actually she owned a number of apartment complexes, many of them around town. And from my perspective, she really didn't have a very good handle on kind of the business going on of her company.

She had a number of people running things, and frankly it was quite disorganized. And I worked for her for probably a total of eight or nine years. But on the first year that I was hired, three months into working for her, I was overpaid. And it wasn't just by a little bit. I was overpaid by $1,800 one month. And it was a result of having billed her for work, and then that bill didn't get paid.

So the next month I add the balance forward plus a bill for the new work. And in their office they come along late. They pay the first bill and the second a bill with the balance forward plus the new charges. And it was an overcharge of $1,800. And so I discovered that, I took and wrote a check because hers had already been deposited. And I went to her office and I said, I've been overpaid.

Here's the paperwork and here's the check for $1,800. And I just remembered she was shocked. Because most anybody else running around there, there was such disorganization and frustration that people that I knew of were taking advantage in certain ways. She really had no clue. And she said, well, I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. You know, I don't think I would have realized that was the case. And what was interesting to me was that even years later, when I submitted a bid, as I did at the beginning of every season, years later I was talking to her on the phone and she was looking over my bid and she says, aren't you the one that brought that check to me when I overpaid you all those years ago?

And I said, yes, ma'am. And she said, well, keep up the good work. You know, you've got your job. Because it was basically because of that one action, it secured me in that position year after year. So sometimes maybe there's things that people think I can get away with this. I could skim a little something off the top. I can add a little something to this. For my advantage, I can pad the numbers and nobody would ever really know.

But you would know and God would know. And I would just say the fact is when you bring something to somebody's intention that may have been overlooked. That would have been to your advantage had it been overlooked. I think that goes so much farther in building your reputation with them and you will gain so much more than you could have gained just sort of sliding something, you know, underhanded that nobody noticed.

It's our name. It's our reputation. It's the things that we do along the way that build that that make a difference in our relationships. Darla one time sold a stallion in her horse business. She sold a stallion to a woman. And part of the agreement, of the sales agreement, was she paid X number of dollars for the stallion, but we retained five breedings back to the stallion because we had a number of mares that we were considering covering the next year.

And that was all part of the sales agreement, not a problem. A little later, another lady came along and bought a mare from us. And as part of the deal we worked out there, this lady had been interested in breeding to the stallion that we sold. So we contacted the owner that we'd sold the stallion to and it says, is it okay if we transfer one of these breedings, free breeding, is back to the stallion to this other horse or this other person's buying.

You can take that off our account and add it to her's. And she said, yeah, that's fine. That's not a problem. And this kind of went back and forth in the email. So next spring, the lady who brought the mare, holds a mare over to the woman with the stallion and, you know, they take care of business. And then next year, the mare is pregnant, she has the foal, and now it's time for the registration. And the woman whose mare had the foal now needs a signature of the stallion owner to register that foal.

And so she contacts the stallion owner and she says, I'm not signing that paperwork. You never paid for your breeding. And she said, well, what do you mean? It was part of the deal. You know, it was a free breed back for this mare that I bought. And she says, I don't know what you're talking about, but you owe me X number of dollars. I'm not signing that paperwork. So the owner of the mare contacts us and we're pulling out these old emails that this communication had gone on and we forward it to her.

And the owner of the mare said, well, I have a friend who's an attorney and I'm going to hire him. And based on all this, we have the evidence we're going to sue her for the signature. And Darla and I talked about it and we said, you know, this is all a little ridiculous. Let's just write her a check for the breeding fee. And we talked about it and we agreed and we wrote her a check and we sent it into the mail to the owner of this mare.

And we said, here, pay the salion service and get your papers. Because, you see, we had guaranteed her that she could have a foal that was registrable from this mare. And you could say, well, their fault, our fault, her fault, whatever. The point was, you know, this was our deal with you.

Here's a check, get it done. And the response that came back from her was, wow! And she said to Darla, I would do business with you anytime. And this was somebody with a reputation in the horse world in town who talked to a lot of people and dealt with a lot of people. So what do you think the reputation for Darla's business would have been as compared to now this other woman who's trying to get people to come bring their mare to her stallion?

So I guess my point, brethren, is simply once again that we need to find ways to build trust, to earn trust in a right and proper way. And it might require going above and beyond at times. It might require maybe even exposing a wrong that nobody even knew existed because it was something that was the right thing to do, even if it cost you personally.

Sometimes it's being willing to take the short end of the stick for your own loss because it's the right thing to do. But people will notice and they'll become a part of your name and what you're known for. Again, we always try very hard to maintain the reputation of our businesses in that way, and it served us well over the years. What do people think of when they hear our name? Oftentimes a one-time event like that will last longer in people's mind, and it will have more of a lasting benefit to the relationship than if you just maybe simply gotten away with something that nobody noticed.

The long-term effects, the long-term paybacks of a good name are worth so much more. Proverbs 21, verse 29. Proverbs 21, verse 29. It says, A wicked man hardens his face. You know, the wicked man says, you know, that's not my problem. That's your oversight. Your loss is my gain. A wicked man hardens his face, but as for the upright, he establishes his ways. The margin of my Bible says he understands his ways. In other words, he gives thought to his ways. He purposefully puts one foot in front of the other in a way that is good and that is proper.

Building a good reputation takes effort and it takes time, and again, it has to be earned day by day, decision by decision. And as Warren Buffett said, if you consider the fact that each decision goes to your reputation, maybe you'll spend a little time thinking about that. I think it's important advice.

Being good to your word is a key element to a good name. If you say you're going to do something, then do it. Fulfill your obligations. Complete what it is that you gave your name to. Sometimes people like to promise things. They'll promise the world. I can do this, I can do that, and they under-deliver. It's actually better to under-promise and over-deliver than it is to over-promise and under-deliver. You said you were going to do something, but you didn't. How can I take your word? But maybe you said you were going to do this much, and you ended up doing that much. What does that do for your name, for your reputation? That causes someone to say, wow, that person does what they said. In fact, they did more. That's a good name. You can trust them. I recommend them to my friends.

Under-promise and over-deliver. Don't over-promise and under-deliver. Psalm 15, verse 1.

Psalm 15, verse 1. Here David asks the question. He says, Lord, who may abide in your tabernacle? Who may dwell on your holy hill? As the passage goes on, it goes on to describe somebody with integrity. This is somebody who is dealt honorably. This is someone who will dwell in the presence of God. Verse 2. He who walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks the truth in his heart. He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against a friend, and whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord. He who swears to his own hurt and does not change.

Here it's somebody who is good to their word, even if they suffer loss in fulfilling what it is that they've put their name to.

Again, if you say you're going to do something, you do it. If it's not in conflict or violates God's law in some way, if you gave your word and your name to that, you find a way to follow through. Even if it means that the deal wasn't what maybe you thought it was. Maybe I'm not going to make out so good on this after all. Maybe it won't benefit me as I thought. But he says, He who swears unto his own hurt and does not change. You come through in a way that somebody sees you actually sacrifice yourself to fulfill your word, they're going to say, wow. That's a dependable person. That's the person I want working for me. Or that's the person I want to do business with or associate with. That's somebody of a good reputation. He who swears to his own hurt and does not change. Verse 5, He who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. New Living Translation says that such a person will stand firm forever. They're people of character, people of integrity. And as the scripture says, they will have a good name essentially forever. The Book of James speaks the importance of our words and the integrity that goes along with it. James 5, verse 12.

James 5, verse 12. And it says, The point here is, is that a Christian, in our life, our words have to mean something. Yes means yes and no means no. Let our words be true at all times, and you know what? It doesn't take a whole lot of words other than that to give our word. Let it be yes, let it be no. I was involved recently in a conversation with somebody, and somebody else's name came up. And I just simply said, if that person said that that's what they will do, that is what they will do. Because I know that person. That person has never given me indication that their word is not good. In fact, I put my name on the line that if this person says that is indeed what they will do, then that is what they will do. But it's simply let your yes be yes and your no-no. Any more than that is a problem. Matthew 5, verse 33.

Jesus Christ speaks to the same point.

Matthew 5, verse 33. Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord. But I say to you, do not swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by earth, for it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. He says, verse 37, But let your yes be yes and your no-no, for whatever is more than these is from the evil one. You know, taking an oath and swearing by something shouldn't be the standard by which it's determined if our words are true or not. People should know our words are true because our words have always been true. If you say yes, mean yes, and do it. If you say no, mean no, and follow through as well, and people should understand by the standard that yes means yes and no means no. Answering with a whole lot of other words besides that, you know, it kind of ends up being like the answers that you hear on television from the politicians.

Have you ever turned on the news and seen the broadcast anchor asking a question? They say, okay, I'm going to ask a direct question here. Can you give me a direct answer? And they'll ask a question, and they'll go round and round and round and round and round, and never really answered the question. And he says, well, that's interesting, but you still didn't answer my question. I'm going to pose the question again. Round and round and round and round and round. That's not a yes. That's not a no. Okay? It's not a straight answer. Somehow it's actually danced around. It's twisted. It's misdirected. Well, don't ask me that. Just think about that. That's what happens when you have more words than yes or no. It's usually a story. It's a misdirection. It's almost maybe even at times attempting to cover something up. He says, Jesus Christ here says, anything more than a yes or a no, essentially a direct answer is from the evil one. I would say essentially because it seeks to deceive people, or again, to cover things up. So, brethren, when we do speak, let our words be true.

Let us do the things that we've said we would do. Let us follow through. Let us be honorable in those things. And when we do, a yes will suffice. Or a no will suffice. Anything more than that really isn't necessary.

Another key element to a good name is our example. Our example. People see what we do every day. No matter where we go, there's generally people there to see. If you're at school, if you're walking the halls, if you're riding the bus, people see. If you're at work, people see you maybe in the morning after you've had your coffee and you're in a good mood. And maybe people also see you when you're under pressure. How do you respond? What is your reputation? People see you at the grocery store, standing in line at the post office. There's people to see you when you get cut off in traffic. What's your response? Do our actions reflect an honorable character or not?

Scripture indicates that Timothy was a very young minister, and as such, he probably had certain complications and difficulties that arose in his congregation that he wasn't quite sure how to handle. But Paul here is trying to give him some advice, and I think it applies well in terms of his example. Let's go to 1 Timothy 4, verse 12.

Again, this is advice from the Apostle Paul to Timothy, verse 12. He says, But be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. Now, Paul's essentially saying, you know what, Timothy? You may have challenges, and people may even despise you, but don't let them despise your youth because of your conduct. Live in such a way that your example is a standard for the Word of God, and that when they see you, they have no cause for argument in terms of your character and your nature. Teach these things, but also live these things. Your example speaks volumes. Again, our example brethren reveals much about our character. A good name comes as a result of living a good life. And I'm not talking about just, you know, making the biggest paycheck or having the nicest house. I'm talking about being honorable and being people of integrity and people of our Word. Proverbs 3.

Proverbs 3, verse 1.

And the question is, what do people think when they hear our name? What comes to mind?

Proverbs 3, verse 1. It says, Again, it's coming back to how you live, the principles by which you stand on, the example that you set. Do not forget my law, let your heart keep my commandments.

It says, A good reputation and favor in the eyes are all will come as a result of living according to right principles. It's the principles that are contained in God's Word. That's why we must immerse ourselves in it daily. Live this way. Last week I spoke on the fact that we need to be giving thanksgiving to God. Not just being thankful. We can be thankful in our heart without expressing it. We need to express it and give thanks to God. And I said, if you read through the Psalms, you'll be of a mind and heart that understands thanksgiving. And it'll help to, hopefully, bring to you a desire to express thanksgiving to God. When you read through the words of Scripture and you would apply it to your life, it should give us a desire to live this way. The example for the way of God. Ultimately, that's where the principles come from. Now, this Psalm lists for us mercy and truth as two critical elements to being highly esteemed. Mercy, ultimately, as we have the example set, comes from God. Truth comes from God as well. So these are elements of God's nature and His character that is supposed to be reflected in our lives. It's how we're to live on a daily basis. And with God's Spirit in us, He will help us along the way. Again, mercy and truth. Is that part of our example? Is that part of our character when people think of us? You know, as other ways our example impact our reputation, how about how we handle our finances? And I say, well, what's that got to do with the reputation? It's a biblical principle, how we handle our finances. Are you known for paying your bills on time, or do people have to chase you around, hunting you down for what it is that you owe? Do we have a good name in that way tied to our finances because we've been responsible, because we've done the right and proper thing? Are we known as a good credit risk or a bad credit risk?

Do we have a good name when it comes to our finances, or is our name somehow tarnished? Again, this is all part of the overall package of our example. What about the people we surround ourselves with? Our friends? Those that we hang out with and spend our day with. Do they lend a positive or a negative impact to our name? Psalm 13, verse 20 says, He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. So the people we surround ourselves with do have an impact in many ways on our reputation, because the type of people that they are will rub off on us, perhaps. Certainly if we're seen with them, if we're seen doing all the things that we would do with them on a regular basis, we're going to be linked with them in people's mind. What kind of reputation are the people that we are associating with? You know, Jesus Christ associated with people that were considered by the religious leaders not to be people of a good reputation, and they went after Him for that. I'm not talking about that, though. But I'm talking about, do we surround ourselves with those who will bring a good reputation to our name? Because we generally tend to hang with those who are similar with, who are like, similar hobbies, similar ways of doing things. As people become accustomed to seeing us together, their reputation will then impact ours. If they're a person of a positive reputation, that's a good thing. But if they're not, that could, in fact, lead to trouble for our own reputation and our own name in the minds of others. At the end of the day, our good name must be a reflection of something even more than ourselves. I alluded to it earlier, but it basically boils down to the fact that as the people of God, we're to be upholding a reputation and a name that is not only about us personally. If we're called a Christian, if we consider ourselves to be a Christ-like individual, and we put ourselves forward in that way, then we need to be conducting ourselves in a way that brings glory to God, and glory to Jesus Christ and what it is they're doing in our life. 1 Peter 2, verse 11. 1 Peter 2, verse 11. It says, This whole process of a good name and a good reputation, again, brethren, is not about our glory primarily. It is about what God is doing in us. It's about bringing recognition to God and the calling of God and the fact that we're supposed to be an example of the way of life that God calls us to live. Jesus Christ's own admonishment to his disciples in Matthew 5, 16 was to let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works. And do what? That's a great guy. Look at all he does. Notice that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. So a good name is ultimately about what God is doing in us. It's about the principles by which he has given us to live and the spirit that he's put in us which allows us to live according to these ways. It is what we do, but it's ultimately about pointing people to God and directing them to the example of his word and his name. What makes for a good name in the eyes of God? We kind of talk about what makes a good reputation and a name in the eyes of man, but what makes a good name in the eyes of God? Scripture shows us that someone who is faithful, trustworthy, someone who walks in righteousness, someone who seeks justice, loves mercy, someone who holds fast to what is good and is despiser of what is evil, such a person will have an integrity and a name that is good in the eyes of God.

Additionally, Scripture shows us that maintaining that reputation in that name in truth leads to eternal life. Let's go to Revelation 3. See the words of Jesus Christ. Revelation 3.

In verse 5.

And we're talking about a name that will last and have lasting effect into eternity. Revelation 3 and verse 5, it says, He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out His name from the book of life.

Your name is written in the book of life. And He says, you know, if you keep your garments white, it's the righteousness of the saints. It's the acts that we do in terms of living this way of life, coming under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, being reconciled to God. He says, this name will not be blotted out from the book of life, and I will confess His name before my Father and before His angels. So a good name in the eyes of Jesus Christ is a name belonging to someone who has overcome the world, just as Jesus Christ overcame this world. He says, and I will confess that name to my Father and to His angels, for His acknowledgement, for His direct recognition. So let's finally look at the end result, then, of that recognition. Jesus Christ declares your name before His Father. Revelation 3, verse 12, it says, And so He who overcomes this world, brethren, will maintain, if you maintain a good name to the end, you'll now be labeled with names which are above all other names. It says, the name of Jesus Christ I will write on Him. The name of God the Father will be written upon Him. And the name of the habitation of God, the New Jerusalem, will be written upon Him. And those the good names will be a part of your reputation forever. To Him who overcomes, His reputation will be forever linked to the name of God, the name of Christ, and the dwelling place of God. It's a good name that will last forever and a good reputation into eternity. Brethren, our good name is not something that can be bought with money. It's not something that somebody else can give to us. But it is a most valuable possession that must be earned, must be worked for, and must be chosen day by day, decision by decision. Good name is a choice.

So again, I ask, what do people think of when they hear your name? What is it that they associate with the name that is spoken that belongs to you? We thought about Benedict Arnold, what comes to mind. Charles Ponzi, what comes to mind. Those aren't positive examples. But put your name in there. What is it that you want to come to mind, in somebody else's mind, when your name is spoken? Brethren, the answer to that depends ultimately on you.