Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’”
David was Solomon’s mentor and in this passage, he was giving him final instructions. Just as David did with Solomon, we will, during the course of our lives, have opportunities to mentor other people. Mentoring is not something to be taken lightly.
God will put people in our path He wants us to train and coach. So, the question today is: Are you ready to be a mentor? Let’s follow Jesus’ example as a mentor to His disciples.
Jesus had many qualities as a mentor. He taught His disciples with easy-to-understand parables. He led them by example, imparted to them, encouraged them, and mentored them so they could go out and teach others later in the same way. He loved them, prayed for them, and listened to them.
On the other hand, the responsibility of His disciples was to learn, imitate, and eventually become like their mentor. It is the same for us today. Our main goal in life is to imitate Jesus and become more like Him.
As we do, He teaches us how to help others. Ask God to help you follow Jesus’ example and become a Christ-like mentor.
Excerpt permission granted by Marcia Malzahn.