Paul hit the bull’s eye in our text scripture which reads

I’m not writing all this as a neighborhood scold to shame you. I’m writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God’s Message to you that I became your father. I’m not, you know, asking you to do anything I’m not already doing myself.

Read this opener again and let it sink, what the heart and disposition of a mentor must be. While Proverbs 13:10 and Proverbs 15:21,22 speak to the bare bone definition of mentoring, Paul addresses what to look for in a mentor, a heart willing to take time and effort to help you grow in the different dimensions we set out in the last post, but most important in your growth in the nature of Christ!

To win in life, you must become a lifelong learner, and learning requires submission; a quality of character we sometimes think doesn’t apply to us. Reaching for a good mentor requires humility of heart. A person who is not teachable already has a decided future because you are less likely to place yourself under the influence of those who really know and can help you. Only the naive operate under the assumption that they can make all the right calls without good input. A true mentee knows his or her limitations.

Consider these scriptures as we close today’s post:

A fool is in love with his own opinion, but wisdom means being teachable. Proverbs 12:15 (TPT)

Your plans will fall apart right in front of you if you fail to get good advice. But if you first seek out multiple counselors, you’ll watch your plans succeed. Proverbs 15:22 (TPT)

Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Proverbs 19:20 (NIV)

Selah

Pastor Afolabi Oladele