We all need other people to show us the way, to be mentors and models for us. I needed help installing a garage door opener last week. My friend Larry came and showed me how to do it. He told me how to measure and where to drill holes. It works great!
Do you have a spiritual mentor?
The apostle Paul was a spiritual mentor. He writes to his Christian friends, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6).
Below are a handful of benefits for having a spiritual mentor?
- Someone to show you the way. These were new Christians. They knew how to worship idols, but not how to worship God. Some spiritual activities you do well, and others you don’t. Don’t give up on the ones you don’t do well. Find a mentor.
- It wasn’t just the behavior of Paul and his fellow apostles as good people or best practices as successful leaders but the beliefs they taught, the message they preached. Spiritual mentors build your faith.
- The message and beliefs of Paul and the apostles were founded on Jesus Christ, and his death and resurrection as Savior and Lord. Ultimately, Paul and the apostles were agents and the Holy Spirit was the mentor leading the way. Spiritual mentors connect you to God.
- Do you see what happened here? Paul and the apostles had suffered persecution and these new Christians were now suffering it, too, because they followed and walked right into the same opposition. But what are these Christians feeling? Joy! Their severe suffering isn’t leading them. Faith in Jesus is leading their suffering. We all need help handling pain. Reach out to a spiritual mentor who can help you with this.
There’s one more thing that happened in this mentoring relationship. Paul, like a proud parent or teacher boasts, “And so you became a model to all the believers … your faith in God has become known everywhere” (1 Thessalonians 1:7,8). Led by other spiritual leaders, the Thessalonians now become spiritual leaders themselves.
Can I challenge you today?
Find a mentor and be a mentor. Follow a Christian whose faith and leadership is a helping hand, and with your other hand lead someone else. Be invited to our CrossLife ministry of God’s Word and worship, and invite others. Be taught, and teach others. Be loved, and love others. Keep the faith and share the faith.
You are as much an agent of the risen Lord Jesus as your mentors and models!
Prayer
Spirit of God, you are a divine mentor who leads me and encourages me. As God and Savior you forgive me, and also equip me to lead others. Show me the loving hand of Jesus so that by faith I hold on to him, and with my other hand reach out to others to hold them. And lead them to Jesus. Amen.
Further Meditation
Make a list today. Write this down so that you force yourself to do it and be specific. C’mon, grab some paper or open a document on your device. Write down 3-5 names of people in your life who have mentored you. At least one of them is a spiritual mentor.
In prayer thank God for them. What would they think if you sent them a note of thanks and encouragement?