A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:1-2 NIV
The root word for more desirable is bachar which means to choose. It is more than having preferences, rather it is the decision to go one way or another. You can’t choose both directions.
This doesn’t mean that a person with a good name can not also be wealthy, for they can. Your core motivation will have to make choices. There will be many opportunities presented to you to slight the truth just a little bit. Pure motivation of a good name will help you make good choices. A good name will eliminate practices like lying, deceiving, cheating or exerting power and dominance.
With every money exchange there are underlying factors of a good name. Keeping your word to pay back a debt, honoring a contract, disclosing the flaws of something you are selling, being prompt for a meeting (values the other’s time), making correct change, avoiding deception, and not bending the rules to your favor are some of the ways you choose to pursue a good name.
Sometimes there may be blow back for choosing a good name like losing a sale. But the end result allows you to sleep at night with a pure heart and clean hands.
From the Pulpit Commentary – The French have a proverb, “Bonne renommee vaut mieux que ceinture doree.” – a good name is so valuable because it wins affection and friendship, which are far preferable to material riches.
God’s grace is sufficient when we blow it. A good name is not synonymous with perfection. Rather, you choose to make things right when you blow it. Humility is part of a good name. Being too proud to admit mistakes is damaging for relationship building. A person with a good name admits faults, that’s a strength.
A good name is vitality important with those who are closes to you. Trust between spouses is earned and is weighty than gold. Children need for their parents to keep their word. Honesty for children builds a strong foundation for the rest of their lives.
Building a good name is laying one brick of good choices at a time. Many bricks make a strong wall. One brick is not a wall. One failure doesn’t destroy the whole wall. Not building leaves the wall vulnerable and unprotected. There is no time for neutrality, we drift toward failure. All bricks of good choices impact others, even if no one is watching.
May you be blessed with a good name – because you found it more desirable to choose that direction for your life.
Blessings Love y’all