My encounter with the Heavenly Father as father and dealing with the sense of lack, I had felt in my own heart, now led me to ask what my responsibilities were as a man, mentor and father.
There were men around me and I knew that my responsibility to them ran deeper than just being a minister or preacher.
Col 1:27-29 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
These few scriptures revolutionized my thinking. Paul states that his focus was to warn and teach every single man, to present every one mature, grown up, and complete.
This was is work, his labour; striving according to the energy the Lord worked in him powerfully.
Interestingly, the word striving means to contend, struggle, and labour intensely.
How on earth was I going to do this? Fortunately, at that stage, many of the men in the ministry with me and I had a fairly good relationship, but I needed to take it to another level, so that we could begin to journey at a different level.
It really would be about family. The difficulty was that I was still functioning and viewing most of what I would do through a wrong mentality for what was required of me.
Much of what I instruct to be out-of-balance thinking today, I did back then. I certainly said some totally unnecessary things and certainly had some unrighteous attitudes. But the Lord was gracious to me and so were many of my friends.
What a learning curve!
I committed and stepped out. Now I saw that it wasn't just about sharing or instructing and encouraging the 'sons', but also an element of correction and discipline. But here was the problem, I was totally intimidated and felt what happens if I am wrong.
Mentoring meant I had to get off my little soap box and begin to listen and understand and allow my friends to come into their completion and season of maturity.
Even though I had always wanted that for them, their maturity I mean, it now revealed my insecurity to actually see it fulfilled. Hey I enjoyed and needed everyone needing me and depending on me to guide them in what was 'necessary' for them. Really no-one could actually do what they thought was the direction and leading of the Lord for them, rather I would imply what it was they needed to do.
OK, so I am embarrassed about it now. But how many fathers in the natural still treat their children like that? We want them depend on us and we will make their decisions for them and always be telling them what to do. They have no room for growth and maturing by being allowed to make their decisions and living with the consequences; while being mentored by their mentor-father.
The only problem is that we keep them immature and unable to 'think for themselves.
I realised I had to fulfill my responsibilities, but boy it was going to take an enormous amount of growth and maturing of my own.
When was the last time you reviewed your responsibilities as a mentor-father?
Are you focused on your children's growth and maturity?
What do you have to deal with for your own growth?
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