False Accusations
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1 (NIV)
If there’s one thing I hate, it’s when someone says something about me that isn’t true – especially when it paints a less than favorable picture of my character. This happened to me recently, and it sure made me angry. If you’re like most people, you feel the same way. You don’t want your good name, your character, or your intentions misrepresented.
Unfortunately, we don’t have much control over other people and the things they say. We can, however, do a lot to build up and maintain our good name. We teach our children the importance of this when they’re very young. We say things like, “Think for yourself,” and “It doesn’t matter if everyone else is saying that, we don’t talk that way.” When our children are out in public or visiting in the homes of friends, we want them to represent themselves and our family name well.
Today’s Scripture teaches us to tend to our reputation. So this is actually a concept that God wants us to learn…to take care of our “name,” our character.
As I said before, we can’t control other’s words, but we can sure do a lot to build a character that others admire and want to emulate. If you think about it, your reputation and good name is one thing you take with you everywhere you go. Proverbs tells us that our good name is worth a lot – even more valuable than silver or gold.
Think about that for a minute: If you have nothing but a good reputation, you still have something of great worth. However, if you have all the money in the world but have a terrible reputation, what will it matter? God’s Word tells us to value our good name.