Ecclesiastes 7:1

Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. King Solomon has two important sayings in our verse for today. The first says that a good name is important. So, what is a good name? Well, a good name is your reputation – what people think about when they hear your name. When someone hears your name, what do they think? Do they think, “That is a kind kid who is helpful. I like it when she works with me in the nursery on Sunday.” Do they say, “He is a good boy. I like it when he is in my Sunday School Class. He is helpful and never gives me a minute of trouble.” Both of those are good reputations. So how do you get a good reputation like that? By being helpful and obedient day in and day out. It takes time. Obey God and you will have a good reputation. But the second part of our verse seems a bit sad. I think we have birth and death all wrong. We are happy when a little baby is born into this sin-cursed world, but we are sad when a person passes on into their eternal home. And Solomon agrees with me. We cry at death, but death is actually the beginning of eternity. We must prepare for that day – the day when we meet our Maker face to face. God loves us and wants us to be ready for that day.