Home Life Ministries
Character Journal No.17

Punctuality

The Character Journal is a monthly e-zine designed to help parents teach Biblical character qualities to their children. Each month a different character quality is presented with suggestions for Bible lessons and projects. The length of time you spend teaching these principles to your children each day is not nearly as important as your sincerity and consistency. Begin each time with a relevant hymn or chorus. Then take a verse, theme or story from the suggestions below as the basis for your daily "Bible Time" with your family. Give relevant application of the lesson to your family; and don't forget to ask your children the questions: Who? What? Where? Why? When? and How? Get each member of the family involved by assigning different verses to be read. Finally, conclude your time with family prayer.

Related Hymns and Choruses

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Bible Verses Related to Punctuality

Spend an evening (or several) looking at just one of these verses at a time. Discuss with your family what each verse or story teaches about the character quality; and give vital application of how this quality can be applied to your family. Choose several verses to memorise together as a family during the month. Since the English word "punctuality" does not appear in the Authorised Version, we have included a list of verses which relate to this important character quality. For a more complete study, we suggest you use the Online Bible which you can download free of charge from our web site at http://www.hlm.org/html/files.htm.

Genesis 21:2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
Esther 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, [then] shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for [such] a time as this? {enlargement: Heb. respiration}
Psalms 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the LORD: [he is] their strength in the time of trouble.
Psalms 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Psalms 108:2 Awake, psaltery and harp: I [myself] will awake early.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made every [thing] beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
Song of Solomon 2:7 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, till he please. {I charge…: Heb. I adjure you}Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Mark 14:72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. {when…: or, he wept abundantly, or, he began to weep}
Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. {in due time: or, according to the time}
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.
1 Corinthians 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak [this] to your shame.
2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which [be] the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Revelation 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Revelation 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Revelation 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

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Bible Stories

-Ideas from the Boulden Family

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Character Definitions

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How to Demonstrate Punctuality

at Home

at Work/School

at Church

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Potpourri

The "I Wills" of Punctuality

-Character First! Education Series 2

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Lifetime in Minutes

Dr. Leslie Weatherhead, in his book, Time for God has a mathematically calculated schedule which compares a lifetime of "three score years and ten" with the hours of a single day from seven in the morning to eleven at night.

If your age is:

15, the time is 10:25 AM
20, the time is 11:34 AM
25, the time is 12:42 PM
30, the time is 1:51 PM
35, the time is 3:00 PM
40, the time is 4:08 PM
45, the time is 5:16 PM
50, the time is 6:25 PM
55, the time is 7:34 PM
60, the time is 8:42 PM
65, the time is 9:51 PM
70, the time is 11:00 PM

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TIME, THE RIGHT USE OF

By Realising the Brevity of Life
#Ps 90:12

By Youthful Piety
#Ec 12:1

By Subordinating Earthly Duties to Heavenly
#1Co 7:29,31

By Serious Living
#Eph 5:15,16

By a Consistent Example before the World
#Col 4:5

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Yellowstone's Old Faithful
 
Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers in Yellowstone National Park. Its average interval between eruptions is about 76 minutes, varying from 45 - 110 minutes. An eruption lasts 1 1/2 to 5 minutes, expels 3,700 - 8,400 gallons (14,000 - 32,000 litres) of boiling water, and reaches heights of 106 - 184 feet (30 - 55m). It was named for its consistent performance by members of the Washburn Expedition in 1870. Although its average interval has lengthened through the years (due to earthquakes and vandalism), Old Faithful is still as spectacular and predictable as it was a century ago.

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Five Probing Questions

-Character Clues Game, IBLP

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Book-Keepers All
Sir Walter Scott, when lending a book to one of his friends, told him to be punctual in returning it. "This is necessary," explained the poet apologetically, "because although all my friends are bad arithmeticians, I notice that almost all of them are good book-keepers."

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PROCRASTINATION, causes of

Worldly Entanglements
#Ge 19:16

Family Cares
#Mt 8:21 Lu 9:61

Unbelief
#Ac 17:32

Personal Convenience
#Ac 24:25

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God Is Seldom Early But He's Never Late

One of the greatest protections that every Christian has from making wrong financial decisions is purposing not to move forward on any program unless and until the funds are provided. Hudson Taylor said, "God's work done in God's way will not lack God's support. He is just as able to supply funds ahead of time as afterward and He much prefers doing so."

God will use the supply of money or the lack of it to confirm His direction for many of our financial decisions. If the funds are not available, it could be for several reasons:

Either we have misspent the money; we don't need the item; or God may be testing our faith by providing the funds just when they are needed.

Before I left Northern Ireland to attend Bible college in the United States, my father sat me down and told me that they weren't able to pay for my Bible school education for two reasons: 1) they couldn't afford it, and 2) they wanted me to learn to trust God for the money without borrowing and without making my financial needs known to anyone but the Lord. Half way through one school year, I didn't have enough funds to pay for the next term. I sensed the Lord leading that if the funds were not provided on a certain day by 4:00 p.m. then I would take that as his direction for me to return home. The day of the deadline arrived, and at 3:50 p.m. God had still not provided the money. Then the telephone rang and I was asked to go immediately to the school office. I was asked if I had all of the money to pay my school bill. I told them I hadn't and how I sensed the Lord's leading to put a deadline at 4:00 p.m. that afternoon. I was then told that before I even came into the school office, an anonymous donor had placed enough money in my school account to take care of my entire school bill. I looked at the clock, and it was just seconds before 4:00 p.m. God had confirmed His direction with the precise timing of a gift.

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Character Gets Noticed

In 1737, Colonel Spotswood, late governor of Virginia, and then postmaster-general, being dissatisfied with the conduct of his deputy at Philadelphia, respecting some negligence in rendering, and inexactitude of his accounts, took from him the commission and offered it to me. I accepted it readily, and found it of great advantage; for, tho' the salary was small, it facilitated the correspondence that improv'd my newspaper, increas'd the number demanded, as well as the advertisements to be inserted, so that it came to afford me a considerable income. My old competitor's newspaper declin'd proportionably, and I was satisfy'd without retaliating his refusal, while postmaster, to permit my papers being carried by the riders. Thus he suffer'd greatly from his neglect in due accounting; and I mention it as a lesson to those young men who may be employ'd in managing affairs for others, that they should always render accounts, and make remittances, with great clearness and punctuality. The character of observing such a conduct is the most powerful of all recommendations to new employments and increase of business.

-Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

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Behind Time

The best-laid plans, the most important affairs, the fortunes of individuals,
the weal of nations, honor, life itself, are daily sacrificed because
somebody is "behind time." There are men who always fail in whatever
they undertake simply because they are "behind time." There are others
who put off reformation year by year, till death seizes them; and they
perish unrepentant, because for ever "behind time." Five minutes in a
crisis is worth years. It is but a little period, yet it has often saved a
fortune or redeemed a people. If there is one virtue that should be
cultivated more than another by him who would succeed in life, it is
punctuality; if there is one error that should be avoided, it is being "behind
time."

— FREEMAN HUNT.

-McClure - Pearls From Many Seas

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Quotes on Punctuality

I give it as my deliberate and solemn conviction that the individual who is habitually tardy in meeting an appointment, will never be respected or successful in life.—REV. W. FISK.

I have always been a quarter of an hour before my time, and it has made a man of me.—LORD NELSON.

Unfaithfulness in the keeping of an appointment is an act of clear dishonesty: You may as well borrow a person’s money as his time.—HORACE MANN.

It is no use running; to set out betimes is the main point.—LA FONTAINE.

I could never think well of a man’s intellectual or moral character if he was habitually unfaithful to his appointments.—EMMONS.
 
Five minutes in a crisis is worth years. It is but a little period, yet it has often saved a fortune or redeemed a people. If there is one virtue that should be cultivated more than another by him who would succeed in life, it is punctuality; if there is one error that should be avoided, it is being behind time. — Freeman Hunt.

God is seldom early; but He's never late!— Unknown

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A Word to the Dads

How to Pray for Your Children - Part 5

A recent report listed the top offences in state owned schools in the United States during the 1940's as being: talking, chewing gum, making noise, running in the halls, getting out of turn in line, wearing improper clothing, and not putting paper in waste baskets. Today the top offences are: rape, robbery, assault, burglary, arson, bombings, murder, suicide, absenteeism vandalism extortion, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, gang warfare, pregnancies, abortions, and venereal disease. Even in Britain, the temptations and pressures our children face today are, perhaps, greater than in any other generation.

Over the last number of months we've been looking at how to effectively pray for your children. Because if you aren't praying for your children then it's most likely that no one else is either

We've already looked at the importance of praying diligently for the salvation of our children at an early age. We need to pray also that they will have a hatred for sin. Third, that they would be protected from the evil one. Fourth, that they would respect those in authority over them. Fifth, that they will desire the right kind of friends. Sixth, that they will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one. Seventh, that they, as well as those they marry, will be kept pure until marriage.

Eighth, leading your children to Christ is not first and foremost the responsibility of the church or Sunday school, but the responsibility of the home. But don’t stop there! We need to pray that they will be single hearted, willing to he sold out to Jesus Christ. Romans 12:1-2 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Many parents never darken a church door yet they send their children week after week to Sunday school. But there are many parents who do accompany their children to church but never or rarely mention the name of the Lord in the home. They never read God’s Word or pray with their children on a daily basis and then wonder why their children wash out of the Christian life.

If the only time a child hears God's Word is in church and never in the home, that child will learn that God's Word isn't really all that important after all. He will pick up the parents value system and although he may accept Christ as his Saviour and be a regular attendee at church, he will most likely live an average Christian life and never accomplish anything great for the Kingdom of God. That's why it is so important, following salvation, to challenge each child to totally dedicate his life to Jesus Christ and to teach them the principle of Romans 12:1 -because unless a Christian totally dedicates his life to Jesus Christ he will never accomplish anything great for the Kingdom of God.

Next, I would encourage you to pray that your children will be hedged in so they cannot find their way to wrong people or places. Hosea 2:6 says, "Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths."

One Christian leader has said, "God's design and plan is to build His church. Satan's plan is to destroy it! Since the strength of any church is determined by the spiritual condition of its families, Satan’s prime focus of attack is the family unit." Do you realise when members of the Church of Satan meet together to pray, they ask Satan to destroy Christian marriages and families? Because they know that when the family unit is destroyed the Church is powerless. That's why it's important for us as Christian parents to put on the whole armour of God and to stand against the attacks of the wicked one.

2 Corinthians 10:4 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." One powerful weapon that every Christian parent has is to pray a daily hedge of protection around each Child. Job did this for his family and Satan complained because he was powerless against it (Job 1:9-1 0). Satan seeks to lead our children to wrong places and to bring evil individuals into their lives in order to trap them in compromising situations.

Fathers, are you praying for the protection of your children? They are facing temptations and pressures today that you never even dreamed about. And if the parents are not daily praying a hedge of protection around each child, they will be exposed and most likely succumb to all kinds of evil.

to be continued...

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Character Building Resources

We Use CharacterLink™ - The Protected Internet Access Service
The cost of bringing the Internet into your home may be much more than just the monthly on-line charges. CharacterLink™ - the protected Internet access service developed by the Institute in Basic Life Principles is available throughout the USA and Canada through local dial-in connection. If you live outside of North America, you can still benefit from CharacterLink's™ protection through a Protection-Only account. The Protection Only plan was created specifically for those outside of local calling areas. You choose your local Internet Service Provider (ISP), and CharacterLink™ will protect your access. CharacterLink™ will provide software that will "hard-code" CharacterLink™ Protection into your browser, enabling you to benefit from CharacterLink™ Protection. The Protection Only plan costs $10.00 (US) per month. CharacterLink™ allows you and your family to safely browse the WWW automatically blocking pornography and other harmful material. For more information see the CharacterLink™ web site at http://www.characterlink.net. For subscription in the UK, e-mail us your address and we'll put a brochure in the post to you. For countries outside of the UK, contact CharacterLink™ direct by e-mailing them at service@characterlink.net.
 
IBLP Resources
We are also privileged to be able to distribute a range of character building materials produced by the Institute in Basic Life Principles including Character Sketches Volumes 1-3, Character First! Education Curriculum and more. E-mail us to request a list of resources available. If you live in the USA, you may request a catalogue and order directly by calling 630-323-9800, or writing IBLP, Box One, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3001.
 
Video & Audio Tape Messages by Dr. S.M. Davis on Courtship, Marriage and Parenting
Dr. S.M. Davis is a much sought after conference speaker addressing issues on the Christian home. He is particularly well known for his presentations on alternatives to Christian dating.
For a list of audio and video tapes available visit our web site at http://www.hlm.org/HTML/OLCTapesSMDavis.htm. NOTE: If you live in the USA, you may order Dr. Davis' video and audio tapes by calling 800-500-8853.

To order any of these resources, call, write or e-mail us with your order. Payment can be made by MasterCard or Visa. If you are sending a cheque, please add 10% to cover postage if your address is in the UK and 15% if you live overseas. See our on-line catalogue for a  list of other resources available: http://www.hlm.org

Home Life Ministries
Pastures Farm Cottage, Kimbolton Road
Hail Weston, Huntingdon
Cambs. PE19 5LB
England

Telephone: (0)1480 219881       E-mail: info@hlm.org       Internet: http://www.hlm.org

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