July 22 - Prov. 22

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or fine gold,
Proverbs 22:1, NIV

There are times when doing the right thing, or being the right kind of person, will cost you. It will cost you more money when you might take advantage of a person, or returning the wrong change when paying a bill. It will often cost you more time when working on a project where you could take short-cuts, or cover something up instead of properly fixing it, but chose not to do so. It will cost you the jeers of teammates or onlookers when you insist on playing by the rules, even though your team might gain for the injustice. It may cost you all of these things, but it will never cost you your good reputation.

We are known by our words and by our actions. These things reflect back not only on us as people, but on our family, our church, and our God. They can make or break a company's name. They generally start with small things - like returning that extra quarter that the cashier at the grocery store gave you - but end with much bigger things. They are the things that our children, neighbours, and colleagues are watching, even though we don't know it.

In the end, I want to be known for things like "a man with a heart after God" (Acts 13:22), "a good man, full of faith and the Holy Spirit" (Acts 11:24), and "one who does not need to be ashamed, but correctly handles the Word of God" (2 I'm. 2:15). These are more desirable than great riches.