Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Find a Christian Mentor | New Testament | 2 Timothy 2

Episode Date: September 26, 2023

You might want a mentor who asks hard questions, calls you to be better, and is vulnerable about their own faith. But how do you find this kind of mentor? In today's episode, Tanya opens up 2 Timothy 2 to share 6 traits to look for in a spiritual mentor. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: 2 Timothy 2

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Daniel Wilmuth. Spiritual mentor. That might be a term you heard thrown around. That might be something that you think about. How do you find a spiritual mentor? Do you know that you need one? A friend of mine just finished a marathon, barely. She said she wanted to quit at mile 18. Yet when she tried to quit at the water spot, another lady jumped in and said, hey, don't give up yet. I'll run with you. Eight miles later, they finished the marathon together. The race support was helpful.

The people cheering, well, they were helpful. But she would have given up if someone didn't jump in and run, walk with her to the finish line. You may think you can run a marathon without anyone running with you. My friend did. But the Bible shows us how God equips and sends people to come with us. In the New Testament, Timothy has this kind of mentor in Paul. Paul encourages Timothy to keep preaching the gospel and strengthening the church. but Paul, well, he's in it with him.

The suffering Timothy faces is paralleled by Paul's own suffering. The temptations Timothy faces are also felt by Paul. The endurance Paul calls Timothy into is mirrored by Paul's own endurance. How do you find this kind of mentor? The kind who asks hard questions calls you to be better and mirrors the challenges in their own vulnerability and walk of faith. Using Paul's own words to Timothy, who he calls my child and calls to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

we're going to dig into 2 Timothy chapter 2 and talk about what to look for in a mentor and the surprising way to find one. From verses 2 through 4, look for someone whose talk and life are consistent. Paul strengthens Timothy by what he says and teaches about Jesus and by suffering faithfully for what he believes and proclaims. You're looking for those who take the Word of God into their lives in a way that is transforming instead of convenient.

From the way they spend their time, to the way they handle conflict, to the way they admit failure, to the way they hold on to hope. They follow God when it doesn't make sense to the world. Paul tells Timothy, no soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

Look for someone who isn't lazy. When Paul writes 2 Timothy, he's addressing some spiritual laziness in the church. We have this same problem today, but we need to be trained in our faith. And to do that, we have to actually do hard things to grow. It's called discipline. Paul says an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. You need a mentor who is actively doing things to further God's kingdom. They're also going to be the people who are the busiest, but we'll get to how to connect with them in a few. Look for someone who makes you think and rustle. You don't need another mentor that takes you to coffee and patch you on the back if you already have three of those. To grow in your faith, you need someone who makes you think.

Paul tells Timothy, think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Thinking and wrestling in the power of the Holy Spirit, well, that's what grows our discernment. And we need this to handle the conflicts and questions and doubts that come into our life. Look for someone who is secure and humbled. Paul never sounds like someone who self-righteously has life figured out, and he never sounds like someone that doubts who his life belongs to or where that will lead. He writes, If we have died with him, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny

himself. You need someone who calls you into a high view of Jesus, not a high view of them and their own lifestyle or choices. Look for someone who helps you see and avoid traps. These are the things that can steal your joy. Commendments you don't need, pointless arguments, unhealthy habits. The list goes on. Paul talks about this twice. First, he says, but avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more on godliness. And their talk will spread like gangrene. He says that in verse 16. And later in verse 22, he says, so flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. What are the youthful passions of our day? Is it finding your value on social media? This brings us to our last point. Look for someone who shows

you where to find your value. Paul ends this chapter with a word picture of what it feels like to be needed or valued in God's kingdom. He says that when we're called into God's family, we are set apart like the gold and silver utensils, wrought out and chosen for special occasions to serve the master in his home. So where do you find this kind of mentor? I think the answer might surprise you. Did Timothy sign up for a coffee date? No. He signed up to serve the Lord Jesus Christ

and to do whatever he was called to do in the way he was gifted and equipped. And that service took him into a relationship with Paul. They were co-laborers, friends, traveling companions, and mentor mentee. It was hard work that tied them together. I can attest to this too. Show up to serve with your hands or your voice.

and God will equip you with people running parallel with you that will encourage you. Look for them, embrace them. In the meantime, and this isn't a substitute, but books are great mentors. Read about pillars in the faith and learn from them. I love Corey Tin Boom and her book, Trent for the Lord. Anna Lynn loves Eugene Peterson, who wrote a long obedience in the same direction, and also his biography, A Burning in My Bones. Jensen loves John Mark Comer and his recent book, Live No Lies.

Patrick loves Entie Wright and his book How God Became King. And Keith, he recommends Matthew Bates' book, Gospel Allegiance. I hope this encourages you and gives you a good place to start.