A Good Name is Better 

August 28, 2022 

We are continuing to learn from Scripture verses with the word “better,” how to live a better life! Week one was “Better one day in your courts!” Better to spend the day with God. The second week was “Better one handful with tranquility,” learning to be content no matter our circumstances. Last week was “Wisdom is better than gold.” The wisdom of God is a hidden treasure! It teaches us how to live the life that truly is life. 

Today our Scripture is “A good name is better than riches.” A good name is another one of those things that we don’t realize how wonderful it is! There is a machine in the grocery store for lotto tickets. But where is the machine for wisdom? We didn’t know we wanted wisdom! And it’s the same with a good name. There is no machine at the grocery store where you put in money and get out a good name. But it is better than riches! 

There have been instances where a person is sent to jail for many years. But they’re innocent. They do all they can to prove they are innocent. It’s not just that they want to get out of prison, although they very much want that! But when they are found innocent, their good name is restored. People respect them. They became inspirational, all that they lived through! You want a good name. 

You don’t want a bad name. When Kevin and I were deciding on names for our kids, some names I came up with were Dmitri, Alexei.  Kevin said, “Why don’t you like normal names?”  Ok, so I came up with some normal names. One was the name Derek. Kevin said, NO. He had a bad experience with that name. Derek was his friend in 5^th grade. Kevin went over to his house once. Derek had built an underground fort. It was a hole in the ground, with plywood on top and some dirt over the plywood. There was an opening on the side they crawled in through. Once they were inside, Derek had a little “fireplace” and some wood. Derek decided to make a fire and used a cigarette lighter to try to catch some wood on fire. It didn’t start a fire. Derek also had a bottle with gasoline in it and a sock on top, basically a Molotov cocktail. Derek decides to light the sock on fire and throw his bottle on the wood in the fireplace. The wood didn’t catch fire. But the sock was burning, and it seemed dangerous to them. So, Derek threw it out the hole on the side they crawled in through. But the bottle stopped, in the hole, it was in the middle of their way out. Derek and Kevin wanted out of there, so they started pushing the plywood on top of the fort to get out. They managed to move it and get out. And they threw some dirt on the bottle to stop the fire. 

Derek told Kevin not to tell anybody about this. But Kevin went home and right away told his mom. He was traumatized by this whole thing and Derek!  

So, when Kevin grew up and was naming his kid, he didn’t want a name that would remind him daily of a traumatic experience! For Kevin, Dere was not a good name! What you do makes a difference. If you almost get your friend killed, he won’t name his kids after you! 

We all have an impact on the people around us. It’s up to you what kind of difference you want to make. A good difference leads to you having a good name. Making a bad difference leads to a bad name. 

There are names that parents don’t name their kids anymore: like Adolph. We think of Adolph Hitler. Then there are names with a good reputation: Billy Graham Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Mr. Rogers and Mother Teresa. When those individuals received their names, they didn’t mean anything to most people. But as they walked through life, doing what God called them to do, they became good names that speak for themselves. 

Have you ever met someone and before you ever met them, somebody else talked so much about that person and you feel like you’ve known them? 

In college, my friends, Christi and Annelies had Professor Karski for class. They talked about him often. Annelies, she was from Holland, she had an accent. But she loved Professor Karski’s accent. She would tell me what he said that day and use his accent. Before I ever saw Professor Karski, I heard someone talking in a hallway, and I knew instantly who he was! I decided I wanted to take a class he taught, too! 

Why did we all love him? He was a Polish soldier, resistance fighter and, spy during WWII when Nazi Germany took over Poland. He went between the Polish government in exile, and snuck into Poland, to find out what was going on. He was smuggled into the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, where Jews were forced to stay. They were shot if they tried to escape. He risked his life doing this work. Once he was arrested by the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, tortured, ended up in a hospital and a friend helped him escape. Jan Karski brought reports to the world about what was happening to the Jews, and what the Soviet Union was doing. He was an inspirational person! He has a good name.  

A good name inspires others. The apostle Paul wrote letters to the Christian churches, and we still have those letters today in our Bible! Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians and so on are letters Paul wrote. The churches kept those letters, and they are part of our New Testament. Paul was an inspiring leader. He had a good name. He did his best to begin a letter like Romans 1:8, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. Paul thanked them, he praised them for their good qualities, even if he also had to persuade them to change some of their ways. He loved the churches, and they loved him and his name!  

The ultimate inspirational person was Jesus! Jesus said over and over to his followers: follow me. Jesus worked miracles and taught crowds. But he called us to more than believing because of a miracle, to more than a one-time engagement with God. Jesus was saying, if you think I have a good name, well follow me. Jesus was the example to follow. His goal was that we would follow, and then we would be an inspiration to others. Jesus said, You are the light of the world. Let your light shine. Be an inspiration, so that others come to know God and believe because of your example. 

Are any of us perfect? No. Paul was not perfect. Has anybody here today decided this week to persecute and torment and perhaps kill Christians? No? Before he converted, Paul did, he rounded up Christians, had them arrested and approved of their killing! And yet, later he turned to God and had a good name! A bad name can become a good name by the power of God. Today is a new day. 

Take a moment now to get together now with one or two people here today and tell them about someone who has a good name. 

Is there a teacher who was inspirational to you?  

Is there a coach who brought more out of you than you thought you had?  

Is there a boss who inspired you? Why were they inspiring to you? 

We all have an impact on others. We can have a bad name or a good name. When we follow the example of Christ, we choose a good name and let our light shine. We are an inspiration to others, and we give light to everyone. They see your good deeds and give glory to God! 

My homework for you this week is to see the best in someone. The apostle Paul tried to always give a compliment when he wrote a letter to a church. He couldn’t always, he was particularly upset with the Galatians. But most of the time he praised people in his letters. Paul’s example teaches us to see the best in someone and praise them.  

A good name is better than riches! There is no machine in the grocery store where you can put in money and get out a good name. The process is more like an inspirational person believes in you, sees you, and you live up to the good they see in you. We all want to know that we have made a difference that is good and not bad! Bring good to people around you, and you’ll get that good name more precious than silver or gold! Amen.