Let’s start with a game. Pause for just a moment after reading each of these names. Try to remember the first thing that pops into your mind after each one.
Madonna. Michael Jordan. Hitler. Mother Theresa. Einstein. President Clinton. Jesus Christ.
So—what were the first things you thought of? In our minds, we associate all kinds of things with a person’s name. We think of more than just what the person looks like—we think of what that person is, what he did with his life, what he stands for.
You were given a name when you were born. But ever since then, you have been giving yourself a name! When people think of your name, they think of your reputation.
What sort of reputation do you have? What sort of name are you building? What do others think when they hear your name? What do people think of you?
Believe it or not, the Bible says quite a bit about how important your name is. In this mini-study, we will see what God has to say about this business of giving yourself a good name.
This study is intended to help you find the answers to real-life, everyday questions in your own Bible. When you see the scriptural references, look them up in your Bible—we recommend that you also write the verses out, to help cement them in your memory—and you’ll see just how practical and helpful its wisdom can be! Now let’s begin.
What’s in a Name?
1. How important is it to make a good name for yourself? Proverbs 22:1.
The word “name” could be translated “reputation.” This verse reveals a fundamental principle. If you could have great riches—say a million dollars—and yet, in order to get it, you’d have to do something that would smear your name, which would you take? That might seem like a dumb question, but in this world people choose riches over a good name all the time.
Wise King Solomon, who wrote this proverb, understood from experience and observation the value of a good name. He knew the privileges and advantages that come to the person with a good reputation.
2. What’s more important—the name you’re given at birth, or what you do with it over the course of your lifetime? Ecclesiastes 7:1.
3. Is having a good reputation important when you die? Proverbs 10:7. What happens to the name of someone who led a wicked life after they die? Same verse.
History is full of examples of heroes and villains. Some men and women lived extraordinary lives of hard work and selfless sacrifice. Just look at some of the names in the Bible—people God thought enough of to record their good names for all time: Abraham, Moses, Ruth, David, Esther, Jeremiah, Paul, John. The sacrifice they made over their relatively short lifetimes will be remembered forever! That’s what the Bible means when it says “the memory of the just is blessed.”
What sort of legacy or memory will you leave behind? Don’t sell yourself short! Strive to leave a strong, lasting, positive name.
4. Is it possible for your actions to bring shame to other people? Proverbs 19:26; 28:7. On the other hand, can your actions actually improve the reputation of other people? Proverbs 23:24-25.
The first two verses talk about bringing shame to your parents and to your family name. The second two verses show how you can bring honor to your parents and increase the value of your family name. A good part of your parents’ reputation rests on the way you behave. If a teen is a hard worker, obedient and respectful, people naturally look at the parents and say, Wow, they’ve done a great job here. You can make your parents look good by the way you act.
You might think that it would be vain or arrogant to try to make a good name for yourself. It may be true that some people want to be recognized for greatness—even have a building or street or park named after them—and are on a big vanity trip. But making a name for yourself God’s way isn’t about vanity at all, because you are bringing honor not only to yourself, but to everything you represent—your school, your church—even God Himself. If you purport to have a relationship with God, then, in a very real sense, you are representing His name. Your actions can improve people’s impression of everything you are a part of.
How Can You Improve Your Name?
1. What is a guaranteed method for improving your name and reputation? Proverbs 21:21; 11:27; 14:9.
In Webster’s Dictionary, the first definition for “honor” is, “A good name, or public esteem: reputation.” Someone with a poor reputation doesn’t receive honor from people, even if they happen to be in a position of authority where people are required to obey them. The way to receive true honor is to “follow after righteousness and mercy”—in other words, keep God’s law. As the second verse puts it, “diligently seek good.”
2. What is a guaranteed method for harming your reputation? Proverbs 12:8; 13:5.
Think about it: If someone steals, they get a reputation as a thief. If they lie or stab their friends in the back, that’s exactly what they’ll become known for. Instead, work to gain a reputation for honesty, strong convictions, uprightness. When you achieve that reputation, things will begin to go your way. You’ll receive favor and get more of the “good breaks” in life.
3. Can people really tell whether your actions are worthy of a good reputation? Proverbs 20:11. Is it enough to just talk about your own goodness? Proverbs 20:6; 27:2.
The only way to build a solid reputation is to make sure your deeds, your “doings,” are pure and right. People may try to build their name by talking themselves up. But others can see through that. And if you say one thing and do another, you’ll be known as a hypocrite! God is after people who build their names through living, faith-filled action! If you live the way you should, you don’t need to boast about your accomplishments. Leave that to other people, and just stay busy doing the right. People will respect you more if they don’t hear you praising yourself.
4. What sort of danger will you fall into if you become too impressed with your own deeds? Proverbs 29:23. How do you receive a good name God’s way? How do you receive honor? Same verse; also Proverbs 22:4.
Vain people might accomplish impressive things in this world, but they are mostly concerned with themselves and their own accomplishments, caring little for others. Their pride causes them to do things that bring shame and trouble upon themselves.
People will never have true honor in God’s eyes until they become humble in spirit. People who realize their limitations, admit their mistakes, listen to advice, heed correction and are concerned for others—those are the ones who receive honor from both God and men.
5. Will a diligent worker who does excellent work be looked up to by others and receive promotions—even to where he will come before important people? Proverbs 22:29. But what sort of rewards will a lazy, irresponsible person receive? Proverbs 10:5, 26.
The person who does his work well and on time will receive recognition, praise, promotion—and a reputation that will serve him well over time. He will eventually be recognized by influential people. Look at the classic biblical examples of Joseph (Genesis 39:2-6) and Daniel (Daniel 1:17-21).
Don’t Smear Another’s Name
1. As a young man, did David have a good reputation? 1 Samuel 16:18. Did he maintain that reputation throughout his life, finding favor with God and man? 1 Samuel 18:30; Acts 13:22; 7:46. How did King David handle people who slandered another person’s name? Psalm 101:5.
David was respected throughout his life because of his strong motivation to obey God the best he could. He was highly regarded by God Himself! And notice—David was strongly against anyone who would do harm to someone’s name.
2. Can gossip and rumor harm someone else’s good name? Proverbs 26:22; 16:28.
Once you know how important it is to have a good name, you can understand why God hates gossip, rumor and slander. Courtesy and love for other people demand that we keep damaging information from spreading unnecessarily, to keep their name intact.
You may see people hurting each other through gossip all the time. They think that by doing so, they’re making themselves look better. But, in fact, they’re damaging their own reputation at the same time. If you want a good name, respect everyone else’s good name too.
3. Can you actually improve your reputation by just keeping certain things to yourself? Proverbs 17:28.
The bottom line is, work hard to obey God, and treat other people with kindness and respect. Follow the principles of successful relationships laid out in the Bible. Your parents gave you a name at birth, but what that name has come to mean—and what it will mean far into the future—is mostly determined by you! Do your best to make your name a good one!
A Good Name
Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls.
Who steals my purse steals trash; ‘tis something, nothing;
‘Twas mine, ‘tis his, and has been slave to thousands.
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.
—Shakespeare, Othello