“A Good Name”

BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 25-27

                What do people think about you when they hear your name?  Do they recall some of the times that the two of you spent together?   Does an image of your face appear in their minds?  Do they have pleasant thoughts concerning you, or are their thoughts more negative?  For instance, if I say the name Adolph Hitler, you instantly have negative thoughts about him because of what you know about him.  On the other hand, if I say the name Mother Teresa, your thoughts turn more positive and pleasant; again, because of what you know about them.   In I Samuel 25 we are introduced to a couple who live in Carmel named Nabal and Abigail.  Notice what the Bible says about these two individuals. “Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.” (1 Samuel 25:3).  Already, within your mind, you have pleasant thoughts when you read about Abigail.  Yet, when you see the name Nabal, negative images and thoughts go through your mind.  In fact, even Abigail, his wife, refers to Nabal as a “worthless fellow” (I Samuel 25.25).    One thing we all have in common is that we all have a name.  Although we may not have had any choice in what name we were given when we were born, we do have a choice in what people think when they hear our names.  Solomon once said that “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22.1)  That statement carries more weight behind it when we understand all of the wealth that Solomon owned.   So, I ask you again, what do people think about when they hear your name?  Let’s make sure we live our lives in such a way that others will have good thoughts anytime your name is mentioned.