Leadership and mentoring

Every single society that has ever existed was only one generation away from complete collapse.

Thus, the absolute necessity for one generation to mentor the next!

One fact is guaranteed - neither you nor I will live on this planet forever. Sooner or later, we're going to die. Unless Jesus comes back very soon, life will carry on. Whether or not life is better or worse after we die, to a great extent, depends upon our diligence in equipping the next generation.

In my Bible reading this morning, Moses died. His time as Israel's leader and God's spokesman had come to an end. But, the nation of Israel continued. So, if there was any hope of success for the next generation, Moses would have been wise to mentor someone who could take over after his demise. He did!

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (New Living Translation)

"Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 'Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.'"

You cannot help but notice as you read Exodus, Numbers & Deuteronomy that Moses spent much time with Joshua. Not only did he publicly affirm him … he also spent years teaching and mentoring him.

This is the reason why God was able to use Joshua after Moses' death. This is the reason why it was said of Joshua:

Deuteronomy 34:9 (New Living Translation)

"And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses."

Who are you mentoring?

If you are a parent, the answer is clear. You have the next generation in your house. Ask God to give you the wisdom to train them so that He could use them for incredible purposes.

If you are a teacher in the public school system, a Sunday School teacher, etc., your job isn't simply to do information download sessions. It's to equip the next generation. You are helping to increase the odds that the next generation will carry on after our generation has gone.

If you are a boss, your job is often ultimately to work yourself out of a job. If the people who work for you are growing more dependent upon you, you aren't mentoring. Ideally, you are training your employees so that they are able to continue doing their tasks if you were to miss a day or leave the company.

If you have been married for many years, you may want to "adopt" a younger married couple. You've learned a lot of lessons about marriage that the younger generation may have to learn the hard way unless you take the time to mentor them.

Ultimately, as followers of Jesus, we are to strive to be like Him. That means that we will intentionally mentor the next generation who will carry on after we depart. Remember, He chose 12 men. He mentored them for 3 years so that they could take over when He left the scene.

Strive to be like Jesus.