Proverbs 22:1
“A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold.”
Ecclesiastes 7:1
“A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.”
Q: Why is your reputation so vital to your happiness, spiritual growth, friendships and success in life? How do you develop a “bad name” for yourself? How do you develop a “good name” for yourself?
My reputation is worth more than any wealth in this world. I can earn a “bad name” by not being a man or woman of integrity and chasing sin. To develop a “good name”, I need to focus on living in obedience to Christ and glorifying God in my interactions with others.
Psalms 33:12-14
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance. The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth.”
Q: What exhortation is found in this Psalm that speaks to you about your personal pursuit of a good reputation.
Example: “I feel encouraged that if God is my Lord, He has chosen me for His inheritance.”
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Matthew 23:26
“You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.”
Q: What inner-character qualities provide a good reputation? What qualities provide a bad reputation? What qualities do you currently exhibit that your friends who know you the best would say damage your reputation? What would you like to do about those “inside the cup” characteristics that hinder you from a flawless reputation?
Good reputation = integrity, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Bad reputation = immorality, hatred, selfishness, impurity. Example: “My reputation is damaged because I speak badly about others and give into gossip.” Example: “I would like to stop gossiping and only say things that are encouraging to those around me.”
Matthew 7:15-20 – “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
Q: Talk about your reputation being displayed from the “inside out.” How has hypocrisy hindered your reputation in your past?
My reputation reflects what is going on in my heart; the inside will eventually expose itself.” Example: “My hypocrisy made others distrustful of me, thus hurting my reputation as a Christian.”
Paul
Titus 2:6-8 – “Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which in beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”
Q: What does this passage urge you to do in regards to developing a solid reputation?
I need to be an example of GOOD, so that anyone who is against me has no ammunition, because there isn’t anything bad to discuss.
Peter
1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Q: How does your behavior influence your friends to move towards Jesus? How does it influence them to move away from Jesus?
By showing the love of God, my friends will be attracted to Jesus! On the other hand, bad behavior can turn my friends against Christ because they will see what I, as a “Christian”, do and see my hypocrisy.
APPLICATION: How do these passages relate to me today? What changes do they bring to my life?
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LOCKER ROOM: Name a person you admire who has a “good name.” What is one inner quality that person possesses that makes him/her admirable? What behavioral qualities does he/she exhibit that gives him/her a good reputation?
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