Show Me

April 29th, 2019

Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you Genesis 22:5 ESV

I have a favorite relative—an uncle to be exact. I love all my relatives. I have a heart for each cousin, aunt, uncle, in-law and the list goes on. I have one uncle that I am drawn to more often because he took an interest in me at an early age. My uncle intentionally invested human and financial resources in me because he felt it was his responsibility to not only live a certain way around me but show me how to live that life as well. My uncle owns a demolition and construction company. He has tandem axle dump trucks and dozers and paving equipment that would turn the heads of any inquisitive youngster like me at the time. I loved seeing the trucks at work, the old buildings being demolished and a clean slate at the conclusion of the job. It was exciting. My uncle had several employees working with him and he encouraged me to join his team.

I didn’t know how to work a dozer, drive a 13-speed dump truck or any of the demolition activities that took place, but my uncle did and he committed to showing me step-by-step how to drive these huge trucks and load them with dirt or debris depending on the job. I became his best driver because he took time to walk with me and talk with me and hear me even when he didn’t have the answers but depended on Christ to reveal the answer to him. I asked my uncle recently, Why did he “show me” how to drive his trucks, operate his heavy equipment, load his dozers, etc.?

He replied “nephew, it’s my responsibility to show you what wasn’t shown to me in hopes that you will do the same for someone else.” My uncle knew the value of mentorship.

Abraham knew what mentorship looked like as well. Abraham was privileged to mentor his own son Isaac. Abraham and Isaac make the hike up Mount Moriah, the Bible informs us they have wood in their hands, they have a dagger for the sacrifice, they have tools to make a fire, but Isaac wants to know where is the sacrifice? Abraham takes a moment to mentor his son in what it’s like to trust God for something that you have no clue will actually come to pass. Abraham knows that he must trust God, but he must mentor his son in trusting the same God. Is your faith transferring to those whom you have the privilege to lead? Is your faith strengthening others to have faith in the God you claim?

Mentorship is all about living out before others the clearest picture of the God who can be trusted. Many people will not get that picture unless you take the time to show them. Isaac at the top of Mount Moriah, with all the elements to make a sacrifice realized he was indeed the sacrifice. His father had shown so much trust in God, that Isaac trusted the same God to provide for him as he had provided for his father. Isaac was clear that in order for there to be a sacrifice— something must die! Mentorship requires a willingness to die in order that we might become selfless for the sake of others. Mentorship requires that our personal agendas die, that we might take up the agenda of Christ in leading others to trust the God of Abraham. The Lord provides on the mountain a caught in the thicket blessing for both Abraham and Isaac. The good news today is that the “caught in the thicket” blessing is available to all who take up the mantle of mentorship and show others what may not have been shown to you for the sake of investing in the next generation of leaders.

The blessing is yours today to carry someone up the mountain of sacrifice knowing by faith as Abraham did, “me and the lad will return.” Everyone knows the walk down the mountain is much sweeter than the trek up! Take time to show me Jesus today and I will take time to show someone else tomorrow. Uncle Kenny, thanks for showing me.

#OneTeamChallenge

  1. What are the things that you need to sacrifice to be a better you?
  2. A gift is waiting to be developed in someone that is dear to you, identify that person by name.
  3. Now write a short prayer to God on behalf of that person asking God to give you the time and space to be available to develop the gift(s) in that person.

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Today’s journey will be different than any other day. Why? I am sharing the journey with someone special.