ANY DIVIDEND OF MENTORING? Tuesday 31 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

Memorise: Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

Read: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

After Elijah’s rapture to Heaven, Elisha moved on to the next phase of his life. Anyone who lives in the past will definitely experience a bleak future. One way to recognize those living in their past is that they will not have fresh testimonies. If all you can do is testify of how God used you to win several souls some years ago, or how you were used in the area of healing in time past, you are still in your past. If you have nothing to show today as an evidence of your present walk with God, you are becoming history. Move forward today!

When Elisha got to the River Jordan, he smote the waters with his mantle like his father Elijah did (2 Kings 2:14). From this we see that anyone who will be great must have someone he follows – a mentor. Mentoring is not only relevant in business but also in ministry. God has provided in the Christian faith for His children to be mentored by the leaders He has given to them, so that they can know what their leaders know and even be greater than them. Elijah was great but his protégée Elisha was greater. Moses was great but could not take God’s children into the land of promise but his protégée Joshua did. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul said:

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

A good mentor would always follow Christ and at the same time bring up his or her protégées to follow Christ by a lifestyle that mirrors Christ. Do you have a mentor? Do you have a pastor you can virtually pattern your life after? However, in every mentor-protégée relationship, there is always a limit. From the words of Paul, the student (learner) must stop copying his mentor (teacher) at any point the latter stops following the Lord. Today, there are some leaders who started on a good slate but they have gone into error. Anyone following such a leader will go deeper into the error of his or her mentor. Are there still Christian apprentices? Too many people want to become their own boss – start up a church or becoming the General Overseer of a church without necessarily undergoing tutelage. No wonder they bring shame and disgrace to the name of the Lord all too often. But if you follow a bona fide spiritual head and humble yourself to study, observe, ask questions, carry out practicals, and be properly taught under him, you will be better prepared for the assignment God has for you.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, open my eyes to see the mentor you have given me and grant me the grace to faithfully follow Him.

 

Bible in one year: 1 Kings 20-21