Dr. D's Devotional
Title: Discipleship 22
by Dennis Reschke
You can mentor and be mentored at the same time. Someone
once said it's good to be in relationship with someone less developed in
the spirit that you can impart to, someone on your level that you can pray
with and relate to, and someone over you that inspires and covers you.
Know that you are called: You must want to mentor because you feel God's
specific call on your life to help people grow in Christ. You must be committed
to their success. Being a spiritual mom or dad is not a duty, it is a privilege.
In Titus 1:4 Paul sees Titus as a gift from the Lord to cherish and encourage.
He was not a burden but a reason to rejoice.
There are three keys to spiritual
parenting principles: initiate, build, and release. Parents must first find
their spiritual children (initiate the relationship), then nurture and provide
for them (build and encourage their lives), and lastly release them to do
the same thing.
1. Initiate the relationship: start on your knees and ask God who this person
is. Finding one in the flesh would not be good. The relationship must be
mutual: Amos 3:3 "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?".
The matches may not seem rational: a spiritual father or mother should be
prepared to father or mother those of different personalities and gifts.
A test of a spiritual father's security is whether he can help someone more
gifted than himself. A spiritual father should expect and desire his sons
to go far beyond him spiritually. Love is the pivotal point of the relationship.
Jesus did not merely recruit them for their intellectual benefit or far
a task, he recruited them for a relationship. He loved them and enjoyed
spending time with each one. He called the 12 that they might be with Him
(Mk 3:14). The word disciples is used 225 times in the gospels, but Jesus
only used it two times. Jesus preferred instead to use the word friends.
He knew that you can impress people from a distance, but you can only affect
their lives up close.
2. Build a relationship: discuss expectations. What are both of you looking
for? How often will they meet? Is the relationship meant to be long-term
of short-term? Are there any major skeletons in the closet likely to come
out? Be honest and open. Create an atmosphere of trust and respect. The
son needs to be assured of his father's love for him, a love that does not
wait for people to change. Gently encourage them to grow. It is caught more
than taught. Spontaneous contact is important. Open your home to them and
let them observe your real-life family relationships and how you handle
the situation when your teenager comes in past curfew. Take them along to
the hospital when you visit a sick member from your small group. Start with
small things and increase to greater responsibilities.
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