THE VALUE OF A GOOD NAME

Proverbs 22:1 (NLT) 1 Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

I was brought up and taught that your reputation and your name means everything.  Your word is your bond and your promises are sacred.

When you have a good name, you have something of real value.

I like what that Japanese proverb teaches us – “Life is for one generation. A good name is forever.”

Shakespeare said, "Othello" - "Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed."

The reason that’s so true is because a good name has real value. We can be sure of that because that’s what God tells us about it.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 (NLT) 1 A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born.

Having a good name is worth some effort, and worth preserving. 

It’s interesting that Proverbs tells us that a person of integrity will be guided in life.

Proverbs 11:3 (NKJV) 3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

How does a person’s integrity “guide” him? When you have a good name, when it matters to you, you have a backup warning system to help you stay away from bad choices. If losing your good name is part of the cost of doing something, you have a reason to rethink it. 

Add that to the list of questions you ask yourself: “How will this affect my good name?” “How will being seen in this place, being around this wrong crowd, wearing this, drinking this, smoking this, saying this – how will it affect my good name?” And suddenly it your good name can be a guide to help you make good choices.

I think there’s a similar meaning in Proverbs 13:6…

Proverbs 13:6 (NLT) 6 Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin.

A good name also provides protection.

How many times have people reached a conclusion just based on someone’s reputation – either good or bad? Whether that’s fair or not, we all tend to do it. 

What if you heard a rumor that I had lost my temper at a ball game, cussed out the referee, and beat up a man in the crowd? What would you say? 

I hope you would say, “I don’t expect that’s true. He’s not that kind of person! I wouldn’t expect him to act that way!”

If you have a good name, it tends to protect you when you’re not there to protect yourself – because you create good expectations about yourself.

Proverbs 10:9 (NLT) 9 People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.

Another thing about a good name is this – it gives you favor with other people.

In the Bible, Ruth had been a woman of good character. She went through horrible loss and chose the road less traveled. What happens when someone shows outstanding character in hard times? Word gets around. She gets a good name. She set her sights on a good man named Boaz, and when it came time to ask his help, she was in good hands:

Ruth 3:11 (NLT) 11 Now don't worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman.

Ruth had a good name, and it helped change her sad situation into a secure life. 

The Apostle Paul needed a faithful traveling companion.

Acts 16:2 (NLT) 2 Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium,Timothy had a good name among the people of that area. 

The result was that Paul valued Timothy and made him his close companion.

People with good names are also blessed by God.  Look at the story of Job…

As the book of Job opens up, part of what we learn about Job is that he had a good name. He was a good man, and God had blessed him. In fact, God points it out to the devil, even after Satan had been allowed to attack him:
Job 2:3b

Job 2:3 (NLT) 3 Then the LORD asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless--a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause."

The year was 1865. John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln in the head and jumped from the balcony. As he jumped, his boot caught in bunting around the booth, and he landed wrong, breaking his leg. Booth escaped, and he sought help with his leg from a doctor named Samuel Alexander Mudd. He set Booth’s leg. Later, when he was questioned, Mudd claimed he didn’t recognize Booth – that he didn’t really know him. A military court found otherwise. He was found guilty as an accessory after the fact in the assassination and was sentenced to life in a federal prison.

But that’s not the end of the story. While he was in prison, Mudd saved the lives of many prisoners and guards during a yellow fever epidemic. In 1869 he was even pardoned by President Andrew Johnson. But today, if you’re going to be in real trouble, if you’re future is looking bad, your name is ____ (mud.) A bad name can be a hard thing to shake.

May I encourage you to think twice about your actions and think about the value of your name to yourself, God and to other people around you.  You name has great value today!