Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.
Proverbs 9:9 NLT

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DEVOTION

How many times have you said to yourself, “I wish someone would have told me this sooner”? We all have lessons we’ve learned in our past seasons of life. We all have helpful knowledge to share with others.

Some of us have been fortunate enough to have mentors in our lives to guide us and help us fail softly; others have not. When done correctly, mentorship can change a person, and it can even alter his or her legacy. When I look back on my walk with Christ, I am able to clearly see the path God led me down years ago as a new believer and I can see the mentors God put in my life.

Mentors are people you see doing something successfully and people you want to learn from. You could learn from a mentor on the subject of business, relationships, your relationship with Christ, or anything else you can think of. Maybe you know a person at church who is excellent at studying their Bible, has an amazing marriage, or runs a thriving business, and you want to learn how to do those same things. This could be a great opportunity for you to build a mentor/mentee relationship.

In every stage of life, we should be looking for a mentor and we should be mentees. Every Paul needs a Timothy, and every Timothy needs a Paul. Mentorship is about making others around us better–better husbands, wives, students, mothers, fathers, leaders, managers, employees, and Christians. Proverbs 13:20 reminds us: “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”

Here are some helpful guidelines for being a mentee or a mentor as you explore this opportunity in your life.

MENTEE

• Don’t ever let the fear of rejection stand in the way of you asking someone to be your mentor, no matter their position in business or life. The answer is always “no” if you don’t ask!
• Be on time.
• Come prepared with questions, homework complete, and something to take notes with.
• Turn off your phone.
• Be respectful and humble.

MENTOR

• Ask yourself: What can I do to help guide this mentee and help him or her discover God’s will for his or her life?
• Be respectful and humble.
• Once it has been established what you and your mentee need, come prepared to mentor.
• Challenge your mentee, but have grace with them as they learn.
• Set a mentorship start and end time frame. (I like to use six weeks to start or six meetings and then reevaluate.)

“Being a mentor/leader is about building character into the lives of others, modeling and teaching attitudes and behaviors, and creating a constructive legacy to pass on.” The Mentor Leader by Tony Dungy

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PRAYER

Father God,

Thank you for the trials, tribulations, blessings, and successes in my life which I can use to teach others. Lord, show me the strengths I can use to mentor others and reveal areas of my life where I could use a mentor. Give me the courage to find a Christ-centered mentor, and also show me who I need to mentor.

Lord, you are waymaker and light. Guide me and lead me. Use me to impact your kingdom and future generations in a positive way.

In your precious, holy name we pray,

Amen.

Brett Williams

MIS Director

bwilliams@crossings.church

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