The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 5 November 2021 – TOPIC: CARE FOR OUR REPUTATION
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TOPIC: CARE FOR OUR REPUTATION
READ: ECCLESIASTES 7:1-14 (NKJV)1. A good name [is] better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth;2. Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that [is] the end of all men; And the living will take [it] to heart.3. Sorrow [is] better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.4. The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools [is] in the house of mirth.5. [It is] better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools.6. For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So [is] the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.7. Surely oppression destroys a wise [man’s] reason, And a bribe debases the heart.8. The end of a thing [is] better than its beginning; The patient in spirit [is] better than the proud in spirit.9. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.10. Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.11. Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun.12. For wisdom [is] a defense [as] money [is] a defense, But the excellence of knowledge [is that] wisdom gives life to those who have it.13. Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked?14. In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing [that will come] after him.
Also Read: Open Heaven 5 November 2021 – Topic: JEHOVAH JIREH
THE MESSAGE:*The honour that virtue bestows on man is more valuable and desirable than all the wealth and pleasure in this world (verse 1). “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1). A good reputation means more than good social standing; it represents genuine goodness of character. One with a good reputation has a more permanent influence on others than the person concerned only with social status. A good name is not given to you by others; you earn it. Timothy was a man with a good reputation. “The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him” (Acts 16:2). Job was another epitome of good reputation. About him, God said: “there is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright; he feared God and shuns evil” (Job 1:1,8).Though our time on earth is temporary, if we live well enough, our legacy will last forever. I invite you to choose a good reputation. A good name entails moral integrity and wins people to God (1 Peter 2:12); it qualifies you for leadership in the Church of God (Acts 6:3); it saves you from disgrace and delivers you from devil’s trap (1 Timothy 3:7); it admits you into heaven to spend eternity with God (John 14:1-3) and it is only guaranteed through a wholehearted commitment to God and His grace (Titus 2:11-12)
PRAYER:* “My character and good name are in my own keeping. Life with disgrace is dreadful. A glorious death is to be envied”- Horatio Nelson