Daily Reading for Sunday, Feb. 17: Mentoring

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9 NIV

How do you effectively mentor? Read verse 9. Live what you believe, and you’ll mentor others. It really is that simple. Throughout our lives, we will be involved in many types of mentoring relationships—some very intimate, others very casual. Many of us will never know the inspiration we give to someone else simply because we are authentic in our love for God and our desire to live out that faith. In this society, where we are bombarded with false images and exaggerated claims, people are longing for the freshness that a true believer brings. Does this mean we have to be perfect all the time? Yes! But, we can’t be perfect, so we simply have to rest in the grace of God. The bible tells us that love covers a multitude of sins. How true that is. God’s love, exemplified by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, has covered our sins. And so, that same grace that we rely upon to make us righteous and justified before God, we rest in as we live out our faith. We are being perfected—that is, we are allowing ourselves to mature in faith, to be corrected when needed, to be mentored by Godly individuals and the Holy Spirit. And as we allow this process to take place in our lives, we become examples to others. That is what mentoring is all about. We are mentored, we mentor. When we are changed, that sets off a chain reaction in the lives of those who are watching our lives—so that they, too, can be changed. And whatever they have learned or received or heard from us or have seen in us will allow them to walk in the fullness of their faith in God. And that is the greatest success of a mentor.

Daily Reading for Saturday, Feb. 16: Mentoring

“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
Luke 9:1-2 NIV

A key ingredient to mentoring is knowing when you need to let those who are being mentored “try their wings.” We’ve all heard how birds learn to fly. Many times, they are forced from the nest (which has often been made uncomfortable by mama and papa bird), and they either fly or fall.
We see here that after the twelve had been with Jesus for a period of time, he sent them away from him to do what he had been doing. Why? Because he was modeling mentoring for the church. He trained his guys, sent them out to do what he trained them to do, and then brought them back together for more training and feeding. That is how we need to be as Christians. We gather together to celebrate the Lord, to worship him together, to be fed by His word and encouraged by one another. We then go out and do what we were taught to do, and then we come back together for more celebration.
If you are mentoring someone, make sure you let them test their wings. If you are being mentored, and it seems as if your mentor is not paying much attention to you, you may be in your wing-testing time. It may feel uncomfortable when you realize that you are not in the safety, security, and comfort of the nest, but birds are not designed to sit in a nest—they are designed to fly. And so are we.

Daily Reading for Friday, Feb. 15: Mentoring

“Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always. 2 Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm… 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” Deuteronomy 11:1-2, 18-21

Have you ever had an experience that was so overwhelming, so incredible that you just had to tell someone about it? And then, when you tried to explain to them how wonderful it was, there was no possible way for you to get them to understand that experience? You were probably frustrated and simply ended up saying, “Oh well, I guess you had to be there.” It’s a funny thing about these types of experiences—it was such a wonderful thing for you, and yet, impossible to portray to someone else.
The Israelites were in a similar situation. In this passage, God is telling the Israelites how to transmit their life of faith from one generation (who had seen the wonders of God performed) to the next (who had not.) God is extremely interested in keeping faith alive throughout generations. He is not short-sighted, only enjoying the response of one generation to His word. He sees through His timeless gaze to the countless generations of individuals who will call upon His name. And so He commanded to Israelites to teach their children—first by example (verse 1), and then with words (verses 18-20). Mentoring is that act of generational transmission. We mentor when we live what we say we believe, and God has promised that when we mentor that way, we will reap the rewards of seeing our children (both natural and otherwise) serving the Lord and living in His blessing.

Daily Reading for Thursday, Feb. 14: Mentoring

“Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.” Deuteronomy 11:1

Today is the day that love is celebrated. What better way to show God our love for Him than to do what He commands us to do? I know that when my children obey me, when they do what I ask, I am very pleased. It touches my heart that they love me and trust me so much that they know I am only doing my best to help them—even if that means having them empty the dishwasher! We have a love relationship that makes the obedience an act of faith—faith in my character, my justice, and my goodness. My children know that I would never ask or command them to do something that would bring them harm. And even when I’ve had to correct them or act harshly with them to punish their behavior, the bond of love has grown. Why? Because when all is said and done, my children know I love them, and everything I do for them is because of that love.
How much more does God love us? The love we have for our children is like a drop of water when compared to the ocean-sized love God has for us. When we mentor our children and when we mentor others, we are acting in obedience because we love God. He is our first love—both primarily and foundationally. Out of this love flows all other love. Love is the well-spring of everything: prayer, passion, servanthood, change, and mentoring. Everything we do as Christians comes because we love the Lord our God, and we know that He loves us. Therefore, we gladly walk in mentoring relationships because we want as many as can to walk in love with God.

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.

Daily Reading for Tuesday, Feb. 12: Mentoring

“Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them.” 1 Samuel 22:2a NAS

Everyone needs a captain if they’re going to move from being in distress, in debt or discontented to being “mighty men of valor.” This is exactly what happened to David and his men. He became the captain of a group of men who seemingly had little potential for greatness. They had bad attitudes. They owed people money. They were probably having a whole host of emotional, mental, and physical issues that caused them to be in distress. And yet, this group became known throughout Israel as David’s Mighty Men. Why? Because David mentored them. He showed them how to live uprightly before God even in times of great need and sorrow. He loved God, and he did what was right. He listened to wisdom when Abigail stopped him from killing her husband and all the males in that household. He would not kill Saul even when he was twice in a position to do so. He followed the Lord and waited on God to establish his throne. And he did so all the while his men watched. They watched and learned. The more they learned, the more they watched. The more they watched, the more they learned. And, over time, something in them changed. They were no longer a rag-tag bunch of ne’er do wells. They became a mighty army. And their affection for their leader grew to be so great that some of them risked their lives just to get him a drink of water.
That kind of affection only comes in a mentoring relationship. David’s men were so grateful for all that David had done for them, and were proud of the men they had become because of David’s captaincy. Mighty men of valor are not born that way; they must be mentored so that the gift that is in them can be nurtured and grow, for it is the mentoring process that takes the seed of gifting and brings it to fruit.

Daily Reading for Monday, Feb. 11: Mentoring

Core Value: Mentoring

We are pursuing transformation through intentional and personal interaction.

We are commissioned to pass on the wisdom and depth of purpose of a Christ-filled life to those around us. Life change happens best in loving relationships, which are authentic in love, supportive in care, and challenging toward change. We believe that anointed teaching and personal interaction is the catalyst for transformation. We are committed to the discovery, responsible development and wise deployment of spiritual gifts in service of Christ, the Church and our community.

Introduction

Mentor: Definition: (n.) a well-intentioned role model, advisor, and guide to someone less experienced, knowledgeable, or mature; (v.) to serve as a counselor, teacher, or guide. Synonyms: (n.) advisor, supporter, guide, tutor, teacher, role model, coach, (v.) guide, advise, support

God’s plan and His design is that faith is transmitted and strengthened by continual interaction with others in the body of Christ. Mentoring is God’s way of reproducing His love, grace, and wisdom. Look at the words used to describe a mentor: role model, advisor, guide, coach, supporter. Every one of us can be mentors—used of God for His purposes by supporting, advising and most of all, loving His people.

Daily Reading for Monday, Feb. 11
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7 NAS

Who comes to mind when you hear the word “mentor.” Do you envision an older saint who’s impacted your life somehow? Or do you think of someone who’s taught you great things about yourself? Perhaps you think of someone very wise and educated. You may think of a friend, a pastor, or a boss. Perhaps you think of a parent or grandparent or other relative or maybe a teacher, neighbor, or good friend. But do you think of yourself? All too often, we think of the many people who have made a tremendous impact in our lives, and yet, we don’t believe that we ourselves are capable of that kind of impactful living. Did you know that God sees you as a mentor? He does! That’s why he’s made some of you parents and grandparents. He’s given businesses to some of you and, to some, positions of authority. He’s given others a circle of friends and family and to still others, he’s given one single, special person. He intends for you to transmit your faith to all those around you. He wants you to lead those who will to Him, and He longs for you to help your brothers and sisters grow in faith. Why? Because you are a part of Him. He means it when He says that you are a vital part of His body. You have a unique voice that only certain people will listen to and respond to. Use it!
Mentoring is not reserved for the most learned, the most experienced, or the most aged. The only requirement for mentoring is this: Fear (that awesome, holy fear that keeps us humble before Him—allowing His glory to shine in our lives and fill us with His grace) the Lord and receive His wisdom. If you love the wisdom and instruction of God, you’re ready to be a mentor!