The Character of Punctuality
1 Samuel 13:8
And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
As good a man as Samuel was, he had one flaw that affected others. The verse above says that Saul did not come according to the set time. Because he did not keep his appointment, it opened the door for Saul to sin. Certainly, Saul had his own choice, but Samuel's lack of punctuality contributed to Saul’s lack of character to do what was right.
Punctuality is being on time all the time. A lack of punctuality reveals a person's lack of character, and it always shows that there are other little things they don't consider important that will eventually lead to sin. Sin starts by not treating everything that you do seriously. Being punctual is as important as obeying every other part of God's Word. If you want to avoid allowing the little things that will destroy your life, you must start by being on time with everything that you do. Let me share several things you can do to always be where you're supposed to be so that you will always be on time.First, know the importance of time. Time is a gift from God that you only have once; therefore, use every minute as it is supposed to be used, and you will never waste one minute of your time.
Second, plan for delays. I cannot control external delays, but I can plan for them. You would be wise to always plan for little delays in the scheduling of your time. I almost always add an extra ten minutes to my driving time, and an extra five minutes to phone calls and appointments. If I am taking a flight, I get the earliest flight in the morning so that I have the best chance of getting to my destination on time. This is planning for delays that I cannot control so that I will always be on time.
Third, live by your schedule. Once you put something on your schedule, it needs to become the controlling factor in your time. Your schedule is critical because you have given something or someone your word that you will be there and do something at a certain time. If you don't live by a schedule, there will be many time robbers that will steal your time and cause you not to be punctual.
Fourth, don’t allow one scheduled time to rob from another scheduled time. One mistake many people make is that they allow one scheduled event to rob from another scheduled event. If what you have scheduled is important, and apparently it is because you scheduled it, never allow another scheduled event to rob from another event because that will cause you to become a person who is not punctual.
Fifth, most emergencies can wait. Most emergencies are not emergencies. Just because someone says you have to do something now does not mean you have to do it now. Most things can wait until the time that they are scheduled to be cared for; therefore, unless it is a life-or-death situation, you let that emergency wait until its scheduled time.
Sixth, give your full attention to the present task. The easiest way to use your time wisely is to give your full attention to what you're doing. When you don't give your full attention to the task at hand, you waste minutes that could've been used for the scheduled event. Giving your full attention to the present task helps you to stay punctual, and will give you a name that you are a person of character.
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