A good name in ordinary dealings
Read in your Bible: Proverbs 20–23.
The sayings address honest weights, patient judgment, relationships and the value of a good name above wealth. They also caution against exploitation and the lure of excess. Integrity is measured through ordinary dealings rather than only public religious declarations.
A good name is not careful image management. It grows from trustworthy conduct, including when deception might be profitable or hard to detect. Wisdom also requires remembering that a damaged reputation can result from false accusation; public opinion is not God's final measure of a person.
Choose honesty in one small transaction or report. Correct an error that favours you rather than waiting for someone to notice. Speak fairly about another person's name, refusing to spread an allegation simply because it is interesting.
Related reading and source notes.
Read the Bible passage first. These notes identify related Ellen G. White chapters; a related reading is not a claim that she wrote this interpretation. Any direct quotations are marked separately. The explanations and applications are The Earl Project’s own.
1Steps to Christ · Chapter 7—The Test of DiscipleshipSC, chapter 7
White's chapter on the test of discipleship is thematic related reading on honesty and the practical conduct that accompanies faith.
Read alongside: Proverbs 20–23
Read the original chapter on EGW Writings ↗A question to sit with
What small advantage would I need to surrender in order to be fully honest?
Correct one inaccurate claim, record or transaction, even if the correction costs you convenience.
Let us pray
Truthful God, make integrity more valuable to me than an easy advantage. Guide my transactions, correct my careless speech and help me protect others from the harm of unverified accusation. Amen.
Your quiet reflection
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An original interpretation from The Earl Project, written from an Adventist understanding of Scripture. It is not an official church publication. Read alongside the beliefs that inform these reflections. Scripture quoted from the King James Version. Ellen G. White sources are cited separately from The Earl Project’s original interpretation.