READING: Acts 20:1-3, Romans 1-3
TEXTS AND APPLICATION: If you know me at all, you know my passion for mentoring. I wish someone had poured himself into me when I was a young follower of Christ, and I think I missed something because I didn’t have that person. As the Lord allows, I want to help fill that void in others’ lives. I don’t want others to struggle as I struggled — alone, trying to figure out how to follow Christ as a young teenage believer in a non-Christian home.
As I read today’s reading, though (a reading that is filled with deep theological thoughts), I’m reminded that I, too, benefit from mentoring as much as my mentees do. Paul described his desire to visit the Romans with these words — words that also reflect my heart as I have opportunity to invest in others:
Rom. 1:11-12 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Paul had much to offer to the Christians in Rome, but he also needed encouragement from them as well. Their faith would inspire and motivate him to greater faithfulness. Here’s the bottom line: when you see the people you teach grow in Christlikeness, there’s not much that’s more exciting. The growth of a brother or sister takes you to your knees in gratitude and pushes you to walk even more faithfully in obedience.
ACTION STEPS: Make a plan to invest in somebody this week, even for only an hour or so. When you do, listen well — and learn.
PRAYER: “Lord, thank You for the opportunities You give me to influence others. Make me equally open to being influenced by their faith. This week, give me glimpses of how they’re growing.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Romans 4-7
