Do you have good name? Not an actual name like Bob or Mary or Sam…but a name as in reputation? Do you have a good name?
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Abraham Lincoln
· what shadow do you cast? Do you have a good reputation? Do you have a good name?
A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well. Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon
· what is your personal brand? Is it a good one? Do you have a good reputation? Do you have a good name?
Having a good name is one of the key ingredients in having a good life!
You want the good life? Have a good name.
You want a good name? Then live with integrity.
Review of the series: A Taste of the Good life
Goal: To give you a tasting menu of the good life. Small bites of wonderful ingredients that all together make for a life that is flourishing! A life that Jesus himself wished for you:
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
So far in the first two weeks we’ve gotten a taste of:
· freedom
· fruitfulness
· And we’ve seen that if you want to experience freedom you’ve got to practice surrender to Jesus. And if you want to taste fruitfulness then you’ve got to dive into communion with God.
In future weeks we will explore impact, influence, destiny and peace but this weekend: a good name – good reputation – the joy of casting a good shadow…the satisfaction of having a good personal brand.
· It indeed is a good life when you walk into a room and it brightens up because you are there. It is a good life when someone sees you’ve texted them and they relax and feel warmth just thinking about you. It is a good life when people bring you up in conversation and speak with great reswpect about you…a good name!
Now…how does one get a good name? Here’s the rub…it takes practice, the practice of integrity, specifically moral integrity.
· See, we have a problem. Integrity, specifically moral integrity seemingly has gone the way of the 8 track player and big hair and Commodore computers…it’s out of date…hopelessly old school…behind the times…it seems that moral integrity is a quaint artifact from a simpler time …
What is moral integrity?
Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching, C.S. Lewis
but that is not complete…
Integrity is doing the right thing when everybody is watching.
Fewer people are doing the right thing both in private and in public.
· Lying, cheating, slander, stealing , coarseness and a broken moral compass are commonplace today – and I’m not just talking about people running for president.
Fewer and fewer people are doing the right thing when nobody is watching and fewer and fewer people are doing the right thing when everybody is watching.
Which ultimately means fewer and fewer people cast good shadows, fewer and fewer people have a good personal brands. Fewer and fewer people have stellar reputations. Fewer and fewer people have a good name. …. and that is one of the reasons why fewer and fewer people are living the good life.
You want the good life? Have a good name.
You want a good name? Then live with integrity.
That is the essence of a book of advice written from a father to his son…
Proverbs 2:7 ________
Context: Wisdom from a father to a son.
7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. 9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. 12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, 13 who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, 14 who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, 15 whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. 16 It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, 17 who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. 18 For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. 19 None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. 20 Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it. 1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 2:7-3:4
You want the good life? Have a good name.
You want a good name? Then live with integrity.
Let’s go back and answer some questions: What is a life of integrity? Moral integrity?
7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
· integrity = 4 terms to describe a person of integrity
o upright = fitting, proper, pleasing, correct, straightforward (not crooked)
o blameless = integrity, completeness
o justice – mishpat
§ the order of compassionate justice on which the entire universe depends
§ it is the near exact opposite of evil and its consequences
§ it is the stance which keeps chaos at bay
§ moral reality upon which all the universe rests
o faithful one – his honored ones (saint)
§ special word of honor
§ God’s hero - is the personification of God in the world
· today we might call this person:
o solid, upstanding, special person who has spiritual authority
o walks to a different drummer than the rest of the world
o honorable, respectable, conscientious, noble
This kind of person experiences the good life…let me show you just how good of a life:
7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
· the direct intervention of God
o victory, shield, guards, protection
o stop and think about this…God is a personal body guard for the person of integrity …man that IS the good life!
but that’s not all…there’s another set of blessings for the person of integrity..l.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.
· wisdom, understanding, knowledge, discretion – you will actually be wiser and know more. Less stupid. Clear thinking.
· and an added bonus: will be pleasant to your soul!
But…we’re not done…there is more in store for the person of integrity:
12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, 13 who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, 14 who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, 15 whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. 16 It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, 17 who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. 18 For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. 19 None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. 20 Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.
· protection from jerks and seducers
o save you from wicked men and wicked seductive women
· keep you from the path of the dead
…and there is more…
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
· prolonged life – longer life
· prosperity – more prosperous life
and finally…
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 2:7-3:4
· favor and a good name = reputation and respect … in the sight of is the indication that it is how you are seen.
o God and man!
You want the good life? Have a good name.
You want a good name? Then live with integrity.
Man, this is the good life! Using the food analogy:
· piece of cake recently – dark chocolate, caramel, sea salt:
o the many nuances and layers of flavor and texture
· Thus it is with a life of integrity…layers of wonder and goodness…
o protection of God, wisdom, pleasantness, longer life, prosperity and most of all a good name.
· that is the good life!
Now….how? things you can do in private to increase your integrity :
· confession
· fasting
o Game of Thrones - But therein lies the moral problem for some: The appeal of the series seems bound up in the senseless violence and amoral machinations — not to mention the free-wheeling sex — that the writers use to dramatize this brutish world of shifting alliances and dalliances.
o electronic
o alcohol
· communion with God
o breath prayers
· journaling
IL – the diet I am on…
- lose weight before we hit the beach
- health reasons – jury is still out
- spiritual fast … and surprisingly it is making me more aware of stuff going on in my life – my spiritual sensitivity has been raised….in particular my conscience!
o not perfect people have been with me – “dude” seriously this is helping?
Things you can do with someone else to increase your integrity:
· confession
· accountability
· Way of Discipleship
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently. Warren Buffett