Dependability. Reliable people work hard INTRODUCTION. DEPENDABILITY Fulfilling what I consented to do even if it means unexpected sacrifice

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1 ependability NROUON Reliable people work hard to consistently honor their commitments. hen they are given a job, people can count on them to get it done. oes this descri you? ay you agreed to clean your room fore dinner, but found the vacuum cleaner didn t work. hat could you do if you were determined to complete what you said you do? You may able to solve the problem yourself by cleaning out the vacuum cleaner. Or, perhaps, picking up the most obvious dirt sufficient until ad could repair the vacuum cleaner. hen you rise to the challenge and overcome difficulties to fulfill your small, daily responsibilities, others gin to trust that you will reliable for greater opportunities in the future. e that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much (Luke 16:10a). Obadiah Risks is Life to eliver a essage PNBLY ulfilling what consented to do even if it means unexpected sacrifice 1

2 ependability Overview hat is ependability? Read aloud, study, and discuss what dependability means and how it applies to life. he operational definition of dependability is fulfilling what consented to do even if it means unexpected sacrifice. ependable people do what they say they will do even when it is difficult. ependability comes from two Latin words: de meaning down or from and pendere, to hang. magine a mountain climr going up a steep rockface. f his foot slips, he literally hanging in the air! e is dependant upon a sturdy rope and the strong anchor secured to dependable person consistently completes his mission so that others are unhindered and the goal is accomplished. nd the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall able to teach others also ( imothy 2:2). the mountain. n the same way, can others hang their trust on what you say you will do? an they secure their plans on your word, confident that you will fulfill your commitments? he opposite of dependability is inconsistency. hat might happen if you had a loose tooth and you bit into a crisp apple? Or what if you were walking along and your foot suddenly gave way? You were expecting your tooth and foot to perform their normal functions. You were depending on them! owever, their instability let you down. he same is true when someone is inconsistent he lets others down. People are disappointed, projects aren t completed, and trust is broken. onfidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint (Proverbs 25:19). o you honor your commitments consistently or only occasionally? f you are following through only for your own gain, you will likely compromise when you are no longer nefited. owever, when you have God s love for others and seek their nefit first, you will not want to disappoint them. hat if you have a sudden change of plans? ay your family has a flat tire, or you suddenly come sick. Perhaps guests arrive unexpectedly. hen making a promise, a dependable person will consider how quickly plans can change and will do his st to prevent the unexpected from person who is not consistently reliable whenever pressures come disappoints the other memrs of the team and cannot trusted. hindering his commitments. Before taking a job mowing a neighbor s lawn all summer, tell your neighbor which weeks you will on vacation. ave a back-up plan so that a rainy day will not set you hind schedule. sk a friend or brother if they are willing to fill in for you if needed. Keeping your word requires thinking ahead and setting your priorities in order so that others can count on the commitments you have made to them. ependability may require that you give up some sleep, work a few more hours, or forego a fun event. owever, ing dependable will gain something money can t buy: a reputation as a reliable and trustworthy person. opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org 2

3 ependability in cripture Read aloud and discuss each verse, question, and concept. Proverbs 2:1 6 says, y son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; o that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; f thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; hen shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. or the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. hat a privilege to study the rich truths of God s ord, hide them in your heart, and apply them to daily life! hese truths are priceless treasures, far above the value and auty of rubies and diamonds. s you dig deeper into God s ord, see ho e is, and allow im to work in you, your life will a radiant expression of is love. e will glorified as is character is seen in you. RR O GO e see examples of dependability in God s character in the following ways: God is our all-powerful ource of strength on hom we can depend. (ee saiah 40:28 29.) God will faithfully complete the work e gins in lievers at salvation. (ee Philippians 1:6.) God will always prepare a way for us to ar our temptations. (ee orinthians 10:13.) Jesus kept is word by joining the disciples in Galilee after is resurrection. (ee atthew 28:10, ) Jesus hrist never changes; e is dependable from the eternal past through the eternal future. (ee ebrews 13:8.) Jesus judges righteously and is called aithful and rue. (ee Revelation 19:11.) he oly pirit is the seal of our eternal inheritance promised by God. (ee phesians 1:13 14.) PNBLY N Y L Now let s examine some ways God wants us to live out dependability daily. ho is the one Person ho will never, ever fail you? (ee euteronomy 31:8.) m trustworthy to keep a confidence, or do spread news about that which should kept private? (ee Proverbs 11:13.) an my brothers and sisters count on me when they are going through difficult times? (ee Proverbs 17:17.) ow does faithfully performing my assignments affect those who are relying on me? (ee Proverbs 25:13.) m earning a good name? hat is a good name greater than? (ee Proverbs 22:1; cclesiastes 7:1.) hat less significant duties could complete now in order to prepare me for greater responsibilities in the future? (ee atthew 25:21.) hat specific opportunity to serve has God given to me? Upon hom should depend to help me faithful? (ee imothy 1:12.) PNBLY KY VR n whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. e that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. PL 15:4 opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org 3

4 Bible tory OB RK L O LVR G s the Lord God of srael liveth, fore whom stand, there shall not dew nor rain these years... ( Kings 17:1). lijah bravely spoke these words to the evil king, hab. nd just as lijah said, srael saw no rain for three years, and the land suffered a severe drought and famine. King hab hated the prophet lijah! e blamed lijah for the lack of rain instead of acknowledging that his own sin had brought this great trouble on srael. or three years King hab tried to find lijah, but lijah hid in the wilderness. inally, God told lijah to go tell King hab that e send rain again. hile lijah approached amaria, King hab and the governor of his house, Obadiah, were searching for water and grass to keep the livestock from dying. o broaden their search, King hab and Obadiah separated. lijah met Obadiah first and knew he was a God-fearing man serving an unrighteous king. lijah had a dangerous errand for Obadiah. hat lijah ask him to do? ould lijah count on Obadiah to reliably carry out the request, even though it might cost him his life? ould Obadiah and lijah depend on God to fulfill is promises? BBL ORY QUON Read Kings 18:1 18, together and discuss the following questions: 1. ow had Obadiah proved to reliable in the past? (ee Kings 18:4.) ow do your actions now determine whether others can count on you in the future? 2. id King hab think Obadiah was a person he could depend upon? hat task did he entrust to his servant to do on his own? (ee Kings 18:5 6.) hat task have you en asked to do on your own? ow have you shown dependability in completing other tasks? 3. hat did lijah ask Obadiah to do? (ee Kings 18:7 8.) hat do your family memrs count on you to do? hat are some situations which might make it difficult for you to finish what you consented to do? 4. hat was Obadiah s concern about carrying out lijah s request? hat promise did lijah make to Obadiah? (ee Kings 18:9 15.) hat promises have you made to others? ave you kept them? 5. ow did Obadiah demonstrate dependability? hat did King hab do to show he considered Obadiah s words to reliable? (ee Kings 18:16.) ow can your dependability a testimony both to those who are unsaved and to those who are saved but wavering in their faith? 6. id lijah fulfill his promise to appear fore the king, or did he disappear as Obadiah feared he? (ee Kings 18:17.) ho do you trust to honor their commitments to you? hy is it disappointing or difficult when a person does not keep his promise? 7. hat did lijah tell King hab? as God s ord to King hab dependable? (ee Kings 18:41 45.) hat promises has God given you in is ord? hy can you depend on im to fully perform them? opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org 4

5 emory Verse PL 15:4 Play the game together to help the children commit Psalm 15:4 to memory. n the section oers of the ord, have the children record how they will apply the verse to their lives. n whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. e that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. PL 15:4 ORY VR G Unscramble ave the children each write a different assigned word or phrase from the memory verse on a sheet of paper. ollect the papers and shuffle them, then distribute the sheets face down, one per child, so that the children do not see which words they received. On the count of three have the children look at the words on their papers, and then time them to see how fast they can line up with the words in the correct order. Quote the verse together. Repeat mixing up the papers, redistributing, and timing the children as they line up the words until the children have memorized the verse. OR O OR n the blank low, write how this verse could applied in your life, e.g., keep my promises, no matter how difficult, or think fore making a promise, or plan for unexpected delays. ear Lord, yield to You and am willing to apply this verse. elp me to. ask that You develop dependability in my life. n Jesus Name, men. hen the Lord gives you an opportunity to apply this verse, write it in your journal to later recall God s working in your life. opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org 5

6 ctivity OR R NROUON njoy meditating on and thinking about the words of the dependability key verse and definition as you find them in the word search low. he underlined words are hidden horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or backwards. Y Y R U B U K G O B N L L R V N N G N R Q R P X L L B N V O Y P J G P L f finding the underlined words is too difficult or frustrating for your child, assign only a few words to find, such as even and the. Younger children could point to the B s. Older children may enjoy the extra challenge of finding all the words instead of only the underlined words. G N U R N O R U O U N R O N P B N O V N O N Y N G G Z Psalm 15:4 n whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. e that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. ependability ulfilling what consented to do even if it means unexpected sacrifice opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org 6 Permission granted to reproduce this page for educational use.

7 Object Lesson ORNG XPRN NROUON uring this character study we are asking the Lord to develop dependability in our lives. hat a privilege to respond to the work e is doing to change us into the image of is on! oday we are going to conduct an experiment to remind us to reliable so we do not let others down. upplies: all, clear, glass vase or gallon jar ater Orange Permanent marker Butter knife, if needed, for peeling the orange nstructions Beforehand, thoroughly wash an orange with dish soap so that any oils will not prevent the permanent marker from writing clearly on the orange. hat are people depending on you to do? will write your answers on this orange as you say them. (Possible answers: take out the trash, put your clothes away, ready to leave on time, feed the pets.) ith your various responsibilities written on this orange, let s see what happens when we place the orange in the water. o you think it will float or sink to the bottom? Place the orange in the water and watch it float! his floating orange represents your dependability when you carry out your commitments and responsibilities. Others are uplifted as you are reliable and faithful to do your part. Now, what if you do not complete your part? Read and peel from the orange each of the responsibilities written. hat do you think will happen to the orange? o you think others will affected when you do not take care of your duties? Put the orange in the water and now watch it sink! hat happened? hen you do not do what you said you do, others are disappointed and lose trust in you. Your unreliability can even cause them trouble or extra work. Like this orange, they are let down. Proverbs 20:11 says, ven a child is known by his doings. ither you will known as one who is reliable or as one who is inconsistent. hat kind of person do you want to? hat kind of impact will you have on others? opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org 7

8 Obadiah Risks is Life to eliver a essage nd now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, lijah is here: and he shall slay me. nd lijah said, s the Lord of hosts liveth... will surely shew myself unto him to day. o Obadiah went to meet hab, and told him... ( Kings 18:14 16). opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org 8

9 ymn istory ould Be rue ing ould Be rue and read about the pursuit of dependability by the hymn writer, oward alter. hile teaching nglish in far away Japan, the 23-year-old merican professor sat at his desk one day, intently writing a letter to his mother. oward alter wanted to encourage her with the vision statement he had written for his life, influenced greatly by the habits of dependability and service she had instilled in him as a young child. eeks later in merica, his mother eagerly opened his letter. nclosed was his poem of three stanzas, titled y reed. he rejoiced as she read the poem which stated her son s strong convictions! he proud mother promptly sent a copy of her son s poem to arper s agazine. y reed was published in the ay 1909 issue. true, for there are those who trust me; pure, for there are those who care. strong, for there is much to suffer; brave, for there is much to dare. ho was the young man hind these penned affirmations? oward alter was born in e graduated from Princeton University and journeyed to okyo to teach nglish at aseda University. ulfilling his one-year commitment there, r. alter came home, attended seminary, and afterward served as an assistant minister for three years. n 1913, he traveled to ndia to preach and teach. Reverend alter s creed included the guiding principles he sought to live his life by principles for daily living that he learned as a young child. is creed affirmed his desire to someone God and others could count on. ependability is fulfilling what consented to do, even if it means unexpected sacrifice. Reverend alter lived with the assurance that God enable him to true, pure, strong, and brave. e firmly lieved that as he depended on God to work in his life and help him live by his creed, he could fulfill the tasks he consented to do, and others could depend upon him. Reverend alter also realized that as he followed hrist, he encounter difficulties. owever, he knew the trials worth their oward. alter ( ) pain cause his gaze was intent on pleasing his avior, Jesus hrist. is work in ndia involved outreach to uslim students. n 1918 a severe flu epidemic raged in that foreign land. he dedicated preacher succumd to the disease, dying at the young age of 35. Reverend alter could have left ndia and served elsewhere, but he remained true to his calling from God and proved himself dependable to is aster. e was willing to sacrifice his life in order to present the Gospel to those who did not know hrist. is radiant legacy and dynamic example live on in his creed. ill you take up the challenge to dependable and complete the tasks God calls you to do, no matter the cost? opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org Photo courtesy of 9

10 ymn heet usic ould Be rue oward. alter ( ) Joseph Yates Peek ( ) true, friend prayer - for of ful there all thru are the each those foe, bus - who trust me; the friend -less; y mo - ment; pure, giv - con - for there ing, and stant - ly are those for - get in touch who the with care. gift. God. strong, hum - tuned for ble, to there for hear dare lift trod is is much to suf - fer know my weak-neswhis - slight-est per; look have brave up faith look have for and to brave, up, faith for and to there laugh, keep is and the there laugh, keep much love, path is and the to and hrist much to love, and path hrist dare. lift. trod. opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org 10

11 ord earch nswer Key Recommended Resources Y Y R U B U K G O B N L L R V N N G N R Q R P X L L B N V O Y P J G P L G N U R N O R U O U N R O N P B N O V N O N Y N G G Z 2018 Biblical haracter llustrated alendar ymns for the amily s ( ould Be rue is sung to piano accompaniment on Volume 3.) he Power for rue uccess haracter ards haracter ards emory Game haracter ketches, Volumes 1 3 chieving rue uccess urning a Business ollapse nto a riumphant Victory (essage by Ralph eloon, available at embassymedia.com.) Good Name (essage by Jim ammons, available at embassymedia.com.) ymn istory Bibliography ustad, onald, P., ictionary-andbook to ymns for the Living hurch, ope Publishing ompany, arol tream, L, 1978, pp. 119, 333. Osck, Kenneth., 101 ore ymn tories, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, 1982, p Reynolds, illiam J., ymns of Our aith, Broadman Press, Nashville, 1964, pp , 430. o view these resources and many more, visit us at: store.iblp.org opyright 2018 by the nstitute in Basic Life Principles iblp.org 11