Money and wealth vs a good name.

Proverbs 22:1-2 NLT
[1] Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. [2] The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both.

https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.22.1-2.NLT

Proverbs 22:1-2 NKJV
[1] A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. [2] The rich and the poor have this in common, The Lord is the maker of them all.

https://bible.com/bible/114/pro.22.1-2.NKJV

Proverbs 10:7 ESV
[7]  The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.10.7.ESV

Ecclesiastes 7:1 NKJV
[1] A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth;

https://bible.com/bible/114/ecc.7.1.NKJV

Proverbs 29:13 NKJV
[13] The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.

https://bible.com/bible/114/pro.29.13.NKJV

Job 31:15 NKJV
[15] Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

https://bible.com/bible/114/job.31.15.NKJV

Proverbs 14:31 NKJV
[31] He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

https://bible.com/bible/114/pro.14.31.NKJV

A good name and reputation are more valuable than riches and money in the bank.
The world teaches us from the time we are very young to build a career, seek after great riches and material wealth. While there is nothing wrong with obtaining wealth through hard work and discipline, it must not be the main driving force in our lives. Money and wealth comes and goes, but a good name and reputation will follow you all the days of your life.

Material wealth does not guarantee us a place in eternity. We cannot buy God’s favor, or a seat at His great table, which He has prepared for those who have been invited. God’s invitation to join Him in eternity is not based on our material wealth or the name and reputation we have built for ourselves in this world. It is received through humility, surrender and self sacrifice. Salvation is a free gift of God, to join Him in eternity, at His great banquet table.

As for the time we are allotted on this earth, we can spend it trying to amass great wealth and a large estate, which will be left to those whom we leave behind, which is not a sin in and of itself. But our legacy is not merely what we leave behind in a material sense; it’s the name and reputation that people place on us. How are we esteemed in this life by others?

My earthly father was not a wealthy man according to this world’s standards, but his legacy was his reputation. I’ve heard it said that the measure of a good man is what people say about you when you’re gone. What everyone who knew my dad had to say about him, was much more valuable than any amount of money or material wealth he had left behind.

When the number of your days expires, and your time on earth runs out, what will others who know you say about you? You might be wealthy enough to donate large amounts of money to an organization, a hospital, school, orphanage, etc, otherwise known as philanthropy. You might even get a plaque on a wall, or a building or the wing of such named after you. But none of that will follow you into eternity.

It says in Proverbs that God is the maker of both the rich man and the beggar, and that he gives light to the eyes of both. We’re all created with the same amount of value in the eyes of God. How we see and treat others is of more value than how much money we gave to the poor. Our name and reputation before God should be our focus.

Am I here to be served or to serve others? Do I truly love God with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength…and my neighbor as myself?

That’s what matters the most in the span of time we are given on this earth.