Daily Reading for Wednesday, Feb. 13: Mentoring

12 “In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 "For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. 14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 1 Samuel 3:12-14 NAS

Yesterday, we discussed the benefits and blessings of mentoring. We saw how a Godly mentor can greatly influence a person’s life and can bring out hidden gems in the lives of those being mentored. Today, we reinforce that concept by looking at what happens when we don’t mentor. Eli was the priest of the land of Israel in a time when Israel was without any stable government. This was during the time of the Judges, when each man did what was right in his own sight. Although Eli was the man of God during that time, he failed to mentor his own sons in the ways of the Lord. They did evil in the sight of God and the people, and Eli did not rebuke them or try very hard to turn them from their wickedness. Because of this lack of mentoring, a curse was pronounced on the house of Eli and grave consequences ensued.
Mentoring is a responsibility we all have. We cannot think that because we may not be “something special” that we have not responsibility to mentor. God has given us great power—the power of eternal life and the power to be His witnesses. And so, we pray for one another. We bear each other’s burdens. We show the way to those who are lost, and we give a cup of cold water to those who thirst. And then, we show others how to do what we are doing. We want to bless those who come after us and not leave a curse as a legacy.