What's In a Name

This morning I was reading some in the book of Proverbs. I discovered something that I my dad used to say to my sister and I in our youth. He always had a way to speak scripture without referencing. Anyhow, it reads: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”

Dad would say the best thing I can do for you is to give you a good name. I have often subconsciously pondered that. It seems the importance of having character and integrity attached to a name is more significant than inheritance. In fact, it is an inheritance. No lake house, trust fund, piece of furniture, or tapestry can impart character to a man’s posterity. Those things, although nice, don’t matter. It is interesting that when Christ arrives on the scene, He begins posterity of His own. A lasting one. His people get His name. This is better than anything we could get from God who provides men with life, breath and everything else. We get the name, “His.” And with that comes everything else – peace, assurance, freedom, satisfaction.

“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”