In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Paul finished the race. As Christians, we need to finish the race and mature in Christ, making it to home base and mentor others. 2 Peter 3:18 says that we are to keep growing in Christ, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Susan Humston hasn't stopped growing. I talked with her two months ago, and she told me that she plays bridge with people from Sweden and Argentina on the Internet at the age of 92. She hasn't stopped living, and neither should we.
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Steve Wingfield said, "Our primary calling as believers is to pass on the blessing. We do that by investing ourselves in other people. I am who I am today because of the grace of God and the blessing that other people have passed on to me. I thank God that my mentors, Dr. Robert Coleman and others, saw in me not just who I was, but who I could be in Christ."4
2 Timothy 2:2 talks about the importance of mentoring. Paul advised Timothy: "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." Paul mentored Timothy, and Timothy mentored others. Naomi mentored Ruth. Samuel mentored David, and David mentored his mighty men of valor. The primary mission of Christ was not mass evangelism but to mentor His twelve disciples. Jethro mentored Moses, and Moses mentored Joshua. Elijah mentored Elisha.
As the Scriptures tell us, Elijah was a great prophet who resurrected a child from the dead, who defeated the prophets of Baal, and who then ran as a fugitive. Underneath a broom tree, Elijah wallowed in suicidal depression. In his encounter with God, as recorded in 1 Kings 19, Elijah heard the voice of God not in the wind or the earthquake, but in the still small voice of God. Part of the message from God to Elijah was that God was with him and there was a remnant of 7,000 Israelites who would not bend the knee to Baal. However, the rest of the message in the vision was the mission to anoint Jehu and Hazael as kings and to anoint Elisha as a prophet. His mission vision was to mentor Elisha. In time Elisha would receive a double portion of Elijah's spirit, and he would get Elijah's mantle as well. Elisha would become a great prophet and leader.
Indeed, the great leaders of the Bible were mentored into greatness. So, who's your Elijah? Who's your Elisha? Who's your Paul? Who's your Timothy? Who's your Naomi? Who's your Ruth? Whom are you influencing and inspiring? Whom do you admire? Who are your heroes? Bob Biehl said:
When you influence a child, you influence a life.