What's in a Name?

Jorge is feeling fine this morning given that the future King of England and he have the same name. Whoop de doo!

I have, however, always said that I have never met a Jorge I didn't like, so I think it's a great name.

Ironically, when my own son was born I did not want to name him Jorge. If I am being honest, I really didn't like the name and wanted something cool like Jake or Hormone.

But my mother--wise woman that she was--said to me, "Yenisita, You will never regret naming your son after you husband because Jorge is a great guy, and it will give your son something to live up to."

She was right, and all that is fine and dandy. But in reality, we all have to make a name for ourselves.

Proverbs 22:1

"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."

Why on earth would my reputation and yours be more valuable than riches? Because to gain and keep a good reputation takes a lot of effort and it produces integrity, and once you have it, there are benefits from having it that money can't buy.

Integrity allows our children to say no to drugs, obey the law, and honor us. Integrity keeps us honest in business and honest in our marriages.

While there is nothing wrong with silver or gold or riches, let us pray today that we and our kids would value a good name above anything else. It will encourage us all to make wise, life-affirming decisions.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, It is easy to get caught in the lie that money is the most important thing. It is not. A good name and the effort we put forth to obtain it will bless us and our families more. In Jesus' name, Amen~

A Good Man~

Happy Monday~

Update time.

After sending out the DEVO on Friday a buddy of mine in Pinecrest sent me this pic taken with a cellphone. There was a fox in her yard too. This one looks exactly like the one we saw. Amazing!

I am pleased to report that foxnews.com had the following article on their website over the weekend. The title: Why the Bible is the best graduation gift you can give. Check out the link. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/05/19/why-bible-is-best-graduation-gift-can-give/

One of the reasons listed in the article is that there's a whole bunch of wisdom in there, or "practical instruction for every area of life."

Amen to that! Every area? Yes.

Let's see what the Bible says about relationships. This past weekend my friend's fifth grader received a hand written note from another fifth grader asking her to dance at the upcoming end-of-the-year celebration. What I found interesting about the note is that this young man assured her that he just wanted to be friends.

Really? That the possibility of being more than friends is even an option for children barely a decade old is a tad mind boggling. And yet, even as I write this, I am reminded of a redhead named Todd Paris who in fifth grade sent me a note asking me to check yes or no as to whether I would sit next to him on the bus on a field trip to Roosevelt's Little White House in Warm Springs Georgia.

I did, in fact, sit next to him. Let's face it: The need to be loved and accepted is the most universal desire in the world. There is nothing wrong with that, but I do think we need to practice some age-appropriate intervention and teach our kids what is and what isn't acceptable in members of the opposite sex.

Principal number one is found in Matthew 1:19 "Joseph, her fiance, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly."

Mary, as we all know, is pregnant with Christ, and Joseph knew he wasn't the father. He assumed that Mary had been unfaithful. Yet Joseph was a good man. And what do good men do? They do things quietly. They protect reputations. They never want to cause public shame or disgrace. They are discreet and noble. Assuming Joseph would have been correct about Mary, no one would have blamed him if he would have pointed a finger at her and announced to the world that he had been betrayed. But even so, he chose to protect her reputation.

A good man does not kiss and tell. He does not share the private details of what he has or hasn't done or is planning to do with anyone--EVER. And a young man who grows up to become a good man is taught early that he must never ever speak unkindly about a young lady or brag to his friends about the relationship.

For those of us who have kids or will have kids, ask God to show you when and how to modify this lesson, and teach it to your children. We all want our little ones to be good and marry those who are good.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, What a beautiful lesson. We all want our sons and daughters to be like Joseph or marry someone like him. Make us alert to those who come into our childrens' lives so we can intercept any bad behavior. In Jesus' name, AMEN~