Mike Smith:
This week, we’ve been talking about four simple rules of thumb to help us teach our children about manners. The first one is to always say please and thank you—the second one is a little more challenging, and that’s to always be on time. We all have times when we are running late because of certain circumstances, but our goal should be to be on time. We’re to prefer others over ourselves and that means being considerate of other people’s time.

People who are late disappoint others. Do you know what the problem with being late is? When I’m late, I’m telling the other person that I’m more important than they are.

In Philippians 2:4 and 5, the apostle Paul says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

To look out for the interests of others means being considerate of other people and thinking of how our actions affect others around us. When we’re late, we keep others waiting. This violates the clear biblical mandate in Romans 12 where the Apostle Paul admonishes believers to honor one another by giving preference to one another.

Give preference… be on time… make it your goal to do your best when serving others. Next time, we’ll talk about the third principle of success. And until then, I’m Mike Smith.