The pursuit of riches and
power is a story as old as time itself. We all know the sordid tales of men like
Bernie Madoff, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ken Lay (of Enron fame). At one time, each of them had fabulous wealth,
graced the covers of magazines, and were the envy of many. But now that the truth is out, their legacy is one of scandals, lies, and worse.
Proverbs 22:1
A good name is more desirable than great
riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Things to think about:
· Who else
comes to mind as someone who for a time had the world by the tail only to be
outed as a fraud?
· Money and
power are strong magnets for our time and attention.
o
At their core, they give the illusion of control. The more control we feel we have, the more we
can feel like we oversee people, circumstances, even the future.
o
Doesn't this sound a little bit like having godlike qualities?
· 1 Timothy
6:9-10
o
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a
trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into
ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a
root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the
faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
o
Proverbs 10:7 - Good people will be remembered as a blessing,but
evil people will soon be forgotten.
· Our text says
there is something far greater to be aspired to, and that is a good name and the
esteem of others.
o
The shininess of gold and silver reflects back on us
o
The reflection of a good name goes to our Father who has given us
His wisdom and Spirit to live godly lives
o
1 Cor. 15:10 – “But by the grace of God I am what I am…”
· What steps
can we take to get this good name?
o
Proverbs 3:3-4 - Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind
them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will
win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
o
Love and faithfulness, these are the keys
§ It says we should
never let them leave us and to bind them around our neck and write them on the
tablets of our hearts
§ It seems that
these are things that must become a permanent part of who we are and that if
not handled with diligent, daily care can be lost
o
How do we make love and faithfulness indelibly etched into our
lives?
§ Avoidance of
sin
§ Devotion to
the Word
§ Prayer
§ Praise
§ Loving others
as we love ourselves
· Naked we came
into this world and naked we shall depart it.
Our good name is our lasting legacy.
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