A Good Name

A Good Name (Proverbs 22:1)

Proverbs 22:1 - A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

The Bible mentions two gems of wisdom. A good name and loving favour. A good name (reputation) is better than winning the lottery. It is far better to have a good name than riches. Loving favour refers to having acceptance. The thought parallels the first. It is better to be acceptable to others than to have large sums of money. One’s reputation and being well thought of is better than wealth. There is no other possession one can have that means more or worth more than one’s integrity. It’s been said, "If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters." The man of integrity does what he does because he is what he is. He is the same in public or in private, during times of relative ease or of great pressure.

In 1844, Henry Heinz was born to German immigrants in Pittsburg, PA. As a teenager, he helped support his family by growing vegetables in the family garden. Following his college graduation, he married and began selling horse radish. A major financial collapse in 1875 forced his business into bankruptcy. Notwithstanding the legal freedom bankruptcy gave him, Heinz viewed each of the company’s outstanding debts as a moral obligation and personally paid back every penny. Throughout his life Heinz conducted his business and personal dealings with the same integrity that led him to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars he technically did not have to pay back.

Heinz went on to found the H.J. Heinz Company with its 57 varieties and became a leading American businessman. A devout Christian, he was known for the generous treatment of his employees and his generosity to Christian causes. He began his will with these words: “I desire to set forth at the very beginning of this will as the most important item in it a confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour.”

The importance of maintaining integrity is beyond any financial price. When people are tempted to cut corners, they often do so without realizing the lasting impact that it will have. Each time we do what is required to uphold and protect our testimony we are making a lasting investment in building a good name. There is no more important or permanent inheritance we can leave behind than the legacy of a good name.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to have a clean heart and clean hands that my walk in this life will be in absolute integrity. In Jesus Name, AMEN.

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