Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 22:1

by David Chadwick

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1

Today’s proverb focuses on the importance of having a good name and a positive reputation. In fact, terrorists and extortionists have found one of the greatest motivations for paying a large ransom is the threat to someone’s good name.

Interestingly, throughout the Bible, whether for better or worse, we often see how someone’s name's meaning indicates their character.

Let’s look at a few examples from Scripture.

Jacob’s name means “supplanter” or “trickster,” and he was the one who tricked his father into giving him the blessing that was meant for Esau, the firstborn son.

Isaac’s name means “laughter,” and he was the child born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. I am sure he brought tremendous joy to his older parents.

David’s name means “beloved.” He was the beloved king over all of Israel.

Jesus’s name means “Savior,” and sure enough, he came into the world to save us from our sins.

Have you ever looked up the meaning of your name? For some people, your name's meaning shows a lot about who you are. Whether or not your name accurately describes your character, we should all strive to have a good name–a reputation that points to the finished work of Jesus Christ.

At the end of your life, you will not take anything with you from this world. No possessions, no power, no success. All that will remain is your name: your character, your integrity, your impact on those around you, and the reputation you established.

Guard your name. Make sure it always honors God. This is one of your most valuable possessions on the face of the earth. But always remember that you have no control over what other people think about you. Ultimately, your reputation is between you and God.

If you are a follower of Jesus, he is the one who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. The Father called you to be his son or daughter and your identity is in Jesus alone. How he sees you should be the driving force in how you think of yourself.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 4:23

by David Chadwick

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Today’s proverb tells us about the importance of guarding our hearts. Out of our hearts flow the springs of all life. There is a phrase that I've lived by for many years that I want to share with you again today: “The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.”

The core of everything that you have experienced, are experiencing, and will experience is a heart issue. Your heart carries the depths of your joys, pains, trials, and victories. Because of that, it must be regularly purified (Psalm 51:10), for it is only with a pure heart that we see God (Matthew 5:8).

Think of your heart as a door through which anything, both good and bad, can enter. How do things enter this door? Well, it first has to come through one of your gates. There are all sorts of gates in which things can access your heart: your eyes, your ears, your mouth, words from others, and even your mind.

We need to make sure we are vigilant toward anything that could enter our heart. Think with me for a moment. What do you watch on TV and in movies? What do you listen to? What kinds of material do you read? What thoughts do you imagine and ruminate over and over again? Once something comes in your gates, it will either edify your heart or defile your heart. This is why it’s so important to guard your gates.

Is there anything you are letting your eyes gaze upon that is corrupting your heart? Are there any words entering your brain that are hurting your heart? If so, I pray you will be diligent to guard yourself against anything and everything that could negatively impact your wellspring of all life–your heart.

People often wrongly think that feelings must be the root of our actions and wrongly believe they can only respond to what they feel. But the Bible teaches differently. It says that our thoughts are the root of what we feel, and then we respond to our feelings through our actions. Therefore, if we guard our hearts rightly, we will feel rightly and will then behave rightly.

Everything flows from the heart, so guard your heart with all vigilance.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 18:21

by David Chadwick

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Proverbs 18:21

King Solomon is the primary author of the book of Proverbs. Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at some of the simple truths and wise sayings from this book of the Bible. I pray that as you read each of these truths, your faith life will deepen and that you will grow in wisdom.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us that life and death are in the tongue. If you have spent any amount of time on this broken planet, you have most likely experienced the pain of slanderous words, gossip, and words of death. Some people are scarred for life because of destructive negative words.

An age-old phrase says, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This is such a lie! Words are incredibly powerful and can hurt deeply. However, on the other hand, words can bring great life, produce incredible results, and often have an eternal impact. Words of life exhort, encourage, bring life-giving correction, call someone to a higher standard of living like Jesus, and give strength to the soul to keep moving forward in difficult times.

In fact, James 3:3-5 tells us so much about the power of the tongue. A tiny bit in the mouth of a stallion can turn the horse one way or the other. It also tells us that a small rudder can steer a gigantic ship. A little spark from the tongue can set ablaze a forest fire. Do you get the picture? It really is sobering that such a small part of our body, the tongue, has such power.

I will never forget how my college basketball coach, Dean Smith, would huddle us together during the last minutes of an important game to speak words of encouragement to our team. Time and time again, I saw how his challenging encouragement would ignite us to play harder and often bring home a victory.

As we live in this broken world, may we seek to use our speech in ways that promote unity and victory instead of pain and destruction. May we seek to bring life to other people. Even in times of correction, may we allow the power of our tongues to produce life! In doing so, we are living like Jesus and revealing the love of the Father to those around us.