A Good Name

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

What is a good name? A good name is given to somebody who has a reputation of integrity, honesty, and trustworthiness. A good name reflects how others view your character, who you are as a person. Like many other important things in life, a good name cannot be bought; it has to be earned. 

Honesty is key to earning a good name. It is easier to gain others’ respect when you deal honestly with them. People will be able to trust you when you have a reputation of being honest. The LORD loves an honest person: “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” (Proverbs 12:22) You can also gain God’s favour from keeping the truth, which is more important than man’s favour, but by keeping mercy and truth, you can gain both the favour of God and man. “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” (Proverbs 3:3-4)

“And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) Jabez was someone who had a good name; he was more honourable than his brethren, and God gave him what he asked for. Cornelius is described as a devout man, one who feared God, gave alms to the people, and prayed to God always. Those are good things to be called and to do; he is someone who had a good name, and again like Jabez, God answered Cornelius’s prayer. 

“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band. A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. 

And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing.  And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.” (Acts 10:1-2, 30-31)

Honesty is not the only thing that will bring you a good name, as we can see from the examples in the previous paragraph. Not only should we keep integrity, but also remember to follow God and His lead, and remember to pray! Prayer can do so much good! Remember keeping a good name is better than any riches you can receive here on earth. 

 “A good name is better than precious ointment;” (Ecclesiastes 7:1a)

All verses are from the KJV

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Today is the last day of 2025. So, how was it? I’ll leave the answer to you.

I glanced at the corner of my computer screen where it shows the date, and I realized that very

shortly it would read ‘1/1/2026’. My stomach tightened a little.

Lots of emotions come with the end of a year and the beginning of another- terror, hope,

anxiety, excitement, apprehension, depression, happiness- and it’s overwhelming. As I

anticipate what this coming year of 2026 will hold, I have been reminded to pray for God’s will to

be done in my life, by the Lord’s Prayer. We pray this in church every Sunday (no, we are not

Catholics...we are Reformed!), so it comes to mind often during the week.“Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth

as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our

debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” - Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus commands us not to pray like the Pharisees did, who were praying elaborate

prayers in public places to show off, so he gave us the Lord’s Prayer as a guideline. “But when

you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your

Father who sees in secret will reward you.” - Matthew 6:6

When feeling stressed about what will happen in the future, this verse of the prayer is a

reminder that the Lord is in charge of it all, and I am not. “Your kingdom come, your will be

done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10)

The thought of what can happen this year is daunting, and yet I rest in the hope we as

Christians have - that whatever happens in this year and the years to come, God is completely

in control. We have no need to be jumpy about battles that may or may not arise in our lifetime.

It is unnecessary to fret over thoughts of bad things that could happen. We are in God’s hands.

His big, strong hands that created the universe. “I will give them eternal life, and they will never

perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” - John 10:28

Tonight, as you light off fireworks and bang on pots and pans, do not be anxious about

the new year. Make it your resolution! God will be right beside us through all, and nothing can

snatch you out of His hands. Happy New Year!!

BE READY

In the Bible, specifically the four gospels and Revelation, Jesus repeats Himself over and over, saying to be ready for the day He comes back. But what does He mean by that?Jesus doesn’t mean we better pack up all our stuff for when He returns. We have to watch for His return, the signs are everywhere. We ourselves must be committed to God, not half way following Him. And we need to prepare others. So, preach the gospel to anyone who is willing to listen.Now, I said that the signs of his return are everywhere, but what do I mean by that? Jesus told us what the signs would be, (Matthew 24:3-14). Some of the signs will be wars and rumors of wars, famines, and Christians being hated. Now these are not all of the signs of the end that’s drawing near, so make sure to read the gospels and Revelation because they reveal so much about the end times.Above, I said we need to be committed to God, so how can we be committed to Him and what does it look like? Faith is the base of it all. We put our trust in Him. We believe in Him. We have complete confidence in Him. We give everything to Him because of that. Our worries, choices, even our life. From there, it just expands to everything else in and about your life.I said we should preach to everyone who will listen, right? Preaching the word is important because if we don’t, if we stay silent, it could cost someone eternal life with God. And who knows, maybe they would’ve converted others. So, make sure to preach it whenever an opportunity presents itself.I hope that everyone finds this helpful. This is so incredibly important, so make sure that you are ready and get others ready.

Your sister in Christ,

Kai