Through the Word in 2020 #103 - Aug. 25 / I want a mentor!

Mentoring. I don’t know how often I hear that word. But it’s a lot. I hear it mainly from younger men, but certainly not exclusively from them. It’s a hot topic in business, in life in general, in the Church, all over. There’s something attractive, comforting about having someone with more experience to lend sound advice and guidance, especially at key moments in life. Some of us are fortunate to have one or more in our lives. Some of us never find one. And some of us no doubt have a picture in our own minds of what that mentoring relationship ought to look like should we have one.

In Job 25-30, we see that Job once served as a mentor of sorts to some in his day. A position he mourned the loss of. In Luke 12:13-34 we see Jesus filling that role less in terms of one-to-one relationship, and more publicly. And in 2 Timothy 3:10-17 we get a chance to analyze mentoring between Paul and Timothy. And it gives us some wonderful insight.

I’m Reid Ferguson, and we’ll look at how Paul followed Jesus’ pattern, and what that might look like today. This is Through the Word in 2020.

I’ve no doubt that the paucity of intact homes in our generation has left many a young man and woman wishing they had had more direct guidance on living life. It is never comfortable jumping in the deep end of a pool without some sense of what swimming ought to look like. But alas, it is the sad reality of a society which has disdained a Biblical pattern of home life.

That said, all is not lost. None of this has taken our God by surprise. And as is ever true with Him, He makes perfect provision for the Believer, no matter what providential advantages or seeming disadvantages we may face. But all too often, we aren’t content with His provision. We want something else. Something more to our personal taste and liking. Our perception of our “needs” may be far different than His.

Now in our Luke passage, Jesus is going to give us some mentoring on the fly. He is approached by someone who wanted Jesus to intervene in a domestic dispute with financial ramifications. And what does Jesus do? He teaches the man about eternal values. Not one word about how to deal with his brother. He teaches him regarding a heavenly focus.

Paul, had apparently been mentored by Jesus without having ever interacted with Him. For as he pens this farewell letter to Timothy, he leaves him with this - you have followed my teaching. My teaching. My doctrine. If you want to know how to navigate life Timothy - go back to solid doctrine. Which is not something Paul has exclusively, but that which belongs to the whole Body of Believers.

The chain of thought in vs. 10 could read like this: What I believed and taught (doctrine); Was the basis for how I lived, my conduct. And, it informed my goal(s); Fueled my faith and gives me patience, love and steadfastness, even in persecutions and sufferings.

So in 14 he reinforces that by saying: “as for you, continue in what you have learned.” Don’t let your doctrine be merely an intellectual attainment - continue in it - live it out.

And where is he to access this great wealth of doctrine so as to live as his mentor did? All scripture. You see God Himself breathed it out. That’s why it’s profitable for instruction, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. In Scripture, God Himself mentors us better than any human agent.

But, is that sufficient? Depends. If righteousness is our goal yes. If we have something else in mind. No. It IS sufficient to equip us for every good work.

Think on that today Christian.

God willing, we’ll be back tomorrow.