DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: AUGUST 1 BUILDING GOOD FAMILY REPUTATION (1) SCRIPTURE: PROVERBS 22: 1; Eph. 2: 10

In the early days of Africa, children outside their homes can easily be traced to their family by their good or bad behaviours. In the 1970s, the greatest insult our senior students used to insult us was “you lack of home training.” Such insult was painful because it was not directed at us but at our families. It simply conjures the meaning of, “as bad as your entire family.” This calls to saying that every family’s good reputation out there is very important. Reputation as a word means an opinion the public has on someone’s personality. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines reputation as “the estimation in which a person or thing is commonly held, whether favourable of not.” This means that, one’s reputation can be negatively or positively estimated. Reason this devotional is specific on “good family reputation.” Our character talks volumes of who we are by behaviours from our inside. Reputation is what people believed we are by their opinion about us based on our outer behaviours.

As Christians, our behaviours supposed to be generally accepted as good. One of the lead texts of this devotional says: “Choose a good reputation over great riches being held in high esteem is better than siver or gold” (Prov. 22:1 Africa Study Bible). This tends to tell us the need to build up good reputation amongst us as a family than going for riches, wealth and materials. The world at large is witnessing radicalism and rebelliousness from children due to negligence of home training these days. The world is coming off of good training of her children by leaving them in the hands of teachers at schools, baby seaters at home, house helps and hired neigbhours. Gone were the days families in Nigeria were known by their unique behaviours, honesty, forwardness, truthfulness, integrity and high display of morality.

This devotional series will be pointing out things that seem to have gone wrong in our societies, in relation with good family reputations. We need to review how we were fairing and what some home are these days; to see how to build ourselves into good and reputable families, especially the Christians homes. The Bible says: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Eph. 2: 10). We must therefore, build ourselves a people of good reputation; who outsiders should admire, approve, accept as good people and judge as people of integrity. It is like so many Christian homes are raising believing-unbelievers these days. Our children, youths as well as some Christian adults seem to have lost their bearing as Christians. Something got to be done and done quickly.

ACTION NOW:

Take a close look at your family, behaviours of people in your church and of course, those of your neigbhours. Are there those with bad reputation? Kindly use them as your prayer points today, asking God to change them in Jesus name.

CONTACT US? You can contact us for prayer requests or discussion through ubasimon341@gmail.com

bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch