September 7 – Mentor to the north

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” –2 Timothy 1:1-2 

Scripture reading: Exodus 32:7-29

Years ago a colleague in the ministry taught me about compass mentoring. Just like a compass has the four points of north, south, east, and west, so a Christian should have points of contact in his walk with God. The first point of contact is north. Each Christian should have a mentor to the north, who is more experienced in the Christian faith than you are. This can be someone who is more knowledgeable in a specialized area where you need to grow. My mentor was a fellow chaplain who had much experience. He helped me to navigate the challenges of being a strong Christian, ministering in a secular environment. He’d listen and offer helpful suggestions in difficult situations. Most importantly, we’d pray together.

The Bible is filled with references of believers who are mentored by senior, more experienced men. Did you realize that Moses, when he received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, had Joshua with him? Our brief passage shows how Joshua learned so much from Moses: how to be in the presence of the LORD God (verse 7), how to pray for the wayward, rebellious people (verse11), how to lead with justice and compassion (verses 25 to 29), and how to confront a fellow leader, as Moses expressed his just anger against Aaron (verse 21ff).

How many examples of younger men being mentored by more experienced believers can you think of? (Just to get you started, the passage above gives you a New Testament example of a mature believer mentoring a younger one.

Suggestions for prayer

Give thanks to God for the beauty of the word; praise God for the blessing of mentors and those being mentored (also known as mentees) in homes, Christian schools, seminaries and so on.

Rev. Richard T. Vander Vaart and his wife Carolyn are now in their seventh year living in Moncton, NB. with Redemption Prison Ministry as a pastor in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church of Canada. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com