Tim Hetzner – Daily Devotions

Find a Mentor – Part Three

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Your mentor should not only demonstrate professional excellence and possess skills from which you can learn, but must also be someone who displays character qualities worth imitating. Bernie Madoff was one of the most admired and sought-after brokers on Wall Street. That is, until he ended up in prison for perpetrating a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that devastated the lives of individuals, companies, and even governments. Numerous actors, athletes, political leaders, and business executives today attempt to deny their position as role models when people are already following them and imitating their conduct. They would like people to distinguish between their personal behavior and their professional life, but such separation cannot really be made.

As you search for role models and mentors, examine their personal lives as thoroughly as their public performance. Your values will be shaped by theirs, so don’t be casual or careless about whom you decide to follow. Paul writes, ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.’ You must be sure that the person in whose footsteps you are following is following in the footsteps of Christ. Why is this so important? Because there will be an audit! Whatever you have spent your life building will be evaluated at the judgment seat of Christ. For Whom and for What were you building? ‘Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss’ (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

Prayer

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Find a Mentor – Part Two

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)

Jesus said, ‘I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (Matthew 16:18). When He spoke those words, the religious leaders of His day were plotting His death, the society in which He lived was controlled by the might of Rome, and His followers were common people. Humanly speaking, what He promised was audacious, and the possibilities of it happening were zero. Nevertheless, it came to pass. Two thousand years later, He is the most quoted author in the world, and many of our values are based on the principles He taught. How did He do it? By mentoring others.

So, when looking for a mentor, try to find someone who exemplifies the qualities and character Jesus displayed. ‘Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light”’ (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus used an agricultural illustration His listeners would understand. To get the highest productivity out of an ox, the yoke around its neck had to be a comfortable fit. And a good mentor is someone who understands you and knows what is the right fit for your temperament and talents. A mentor is an extra pair of eyes and ears, and that always has your best interests at heart. When you think about it, having the right mentor is one of the best investments you can make in your future.

Prayer

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Find a Mentor – Part One

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

Most people who decide to grow personally find their first mentors in the pages of books. That is a great place to start. For that matter, it’s a great place to continue. And the wisdom that’s found in Scripture makes the Bible the best mentor’s manual ever written. If you are not reading it daily, you are robbing yourself of the greatest source of inspiration and illumination. And at some point, if you’re wise, you will also look for a role model to mentor you. No matter how gifted and experienced you are, you will go further with the right mentor than you will on your own.

Jesus, the greatest mentor of all, discipled a group of men who changed the world forever. ‘And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him’ (vv. 18-22).

Note the words ‘follow Me, and I will make you…’ Just as the right mentor can make you, the wrong mentor can break you. So you need to pray about this. Then you must do something about it. Why? Because if you follow only yourself, you may find yourself going in circles and getting nowhere.

Prayer

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Be a Giver – Part Two

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Paul writes, ‘Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’ The giving that God rewards is purposeful giving when it’s done with a cheerful attitude. Here are three ways to do that:

1) Put people before yourself. Every one of the things of this world, including fame and fortune, is temporary. Individuals are what matter. Your job, pastimes, and other interests will die with you. People live on. The true measure of success is not in the number of individuals who help you, but in the number of individuals you help (see Galatians 5:13).

2) Don’t let stuff own you. No one should ever become a slave to their stuff. No one should make their life’s work about obtaining more just to have more. If you want to be in control of your heart, do not let belongings take control of you. The question is, ‘Do you own your possessions, or do your possessions own you?’ Givers use what they own as a resource to make this world a better place to live. And they do this regardless of how much or how little they have (see Matthew 6:21).

3) Define success as sowing, not reaping. Robert Louis Stevenson said, ‘I consider the success of my day based on the seeds I sow, not the harvest I reap.’ That should be the way we judge not only our days but our entire lives (see 2 Corinthians 9:6-10). If you live life with the intention of enriching the lives of others, your life will be full, not empty.

Prayer

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Be a Giver – Part One

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)

If you want to become a giver, think of yourself as a river instead of a reservoir. Reservoirs continually take in water, but only to fill themselves up. In contrast, a river flows. Whatever water it receives, it gives away. Note what Jesus said about giving: ‘Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you’ (v. 38).

When you give your time, expertise, and resources without expecting anything in return, you’re practicing what Jesus preached. And here is an interesting truth: when you focus more on the wants and needs of others, more of your own wants and needs are met. In contrast, when you choose to hoard what you have rather than give, you become the center of your own lonely universe, and you become less content, not more. As a result, you repel both people and potential blessing.

Recalling God’s goodness to you leads to gratitude (see Psalm 103:1-5). And gratitude leads to giving. Ungrateful people aren’t givers. They seldom think about others; they just think of themselves. Their days comprise searching for others to assist them, give to them, and wait on them. And whenever others fail to meet those expectations, they wonder why. Their selfishness prevents them from sowing, and their ingratitude causes them to question why they don’t reap. In what way can you show gratitude? By taking a portion of the blessings God has poured into your life and pouring them into the lives of others. In other words, be a giver.

Prayer

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Leadership Can Be Lonely

“At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.” (2 Timothy 4:16–17)

One of the things leaders know is that while many people will never step up to be the leader, there are plenty of people willing to criticize any steps towards leadership you might take and tell the whole world how they know better and why you did it wrong! While you will always accomplish more while working with others, you can’t always count on being supported or liked by everyone. No matter what you do, some people will be difficult and negative. So, you must stay focused on your God-given goals, be who you are, and trust God to do what you cannot do.

Real leaders make tough decisions, even when it means they end up less than popular. The road to true leadership can be lonely. But once you reach your goals, the rewards are enormous. Paul writes: ‘No one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear…And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom’ (vv. 16-18).

When others forsake you, the Lord will stand with you. The Lord will strengthen you. The Lord will deliver you. The Lord will reward you. You are called to love others and work with them. And if you find that you’re inadvertently doing things that alienate, discourage, or drive wedges, ask God for wisdom and insight to rectify the situation. But know this: when you have no one left but God, you will discover that God is enough!

Prayer

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Do Not Be Envious

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17)

Envy, in essence, accuses God of being unfair, a respecter of persons, and unaware of what’s best for our lives. Therefore, we should engage in an all-out campaign against envy when it appears in our life. Here are six ways to do that:

1) Confess and repent of your impure intentions for wanting something other than for the glory of God. ‘But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth’ (James 3:14).

2) Count your blessings. Envy is rooted in dissatisfaction. Frequently, we are so upset at the good fortune of others that we can’t see our own blessings and advantages. Somebody previously said, ‘Envy is the habit of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.’

3) Understand what envy is telling you about what needs to be changed in order for you to reach your destiny. Pray, ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’

4) If feasible, spend time with the person you envy and learn more about their secrets of success. In the process, you may realize they have a multitude of problems that will reduce your envy.

5) When anyone is mentioned with appreciation and admiration, instead of making a negative comment about them, try speaking words of praise.

6) Reject seeing another person’s success as your failure. Instead of thinking their blessings came at your expense, start believing that the God who blessed them wants to bless you, too.

Prayer

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It’s a New Day, You Can Change

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Self-help books sometimes claim you can change your life in five or ten simple steps. It takes a lot more than that to make substantial and lasting changes in your life.

First, change comes by drawing on a power greater than your own – God’s power. Paul writes: ‘I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (vv. 12-13).

Second, change comes from steady and determined hard work and effort. ‘Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart’ (Galatians 6:9).

The key is to understand that a bad day does not make you a failure; it doesn’t last, it’s just a bad day. After you have had one, and all of us have, you just start back on track the following day. Don’t give up. Life is a sequence of ups and downs, stops and starts. Tomorrow is a brand-new day. What’s necessary now is to revive your promise to make changes in your life and start from the place you left off. If you need to, seek God’s forgiveness, forgive yourself, and begin walking forward again. Make your goal your focus, not the fact that you slipped up. Don’t get caught up blaming others or yourself. Let it go and move on. Realize that the next time you come up against a difficult situation – and you will – in God’s strength, you will handle it better.

Prayer

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Your Daily Bread

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

After World War II, Europe was devastated with hungry, homeless children who had been orphaned by the battles. They were put in large camps where they were given food and care. Yet they didn’t sleep well at night; they were nervous, fearful, and fidgety. The caregivers were baffled until a psychologist taught them to offer each child a piece of bread every night, not to eat, but to hold in bed. The outcome was astonishing. The children slept through the night because they realized they wouldn’t go hungry the next day. Clutching the bread gave them a sense of protection (they were safe), importance (somebody cared about them), and happiness (there will be more bread tomorrow).

Those three things were what those children needed – and they are what you need too. And all three can be found in a relationship with Jesus. When He said, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger,’ He was saying, ‘I am to your soul what food is to your body.’ Bread is one thing most of us have in common. It doesn’t belong only to a particular region or nation. It’s available in all shapes and sizes. In the UK, it may be scones; in South America, tortillas; in New York, bagels; and in Ethiopia, injera. In a simple statement, Jesus reminds us that He is our nourishment, everywhere, every time. So, be sure to read your Bible every day; it’s your daily bread.

Prayer

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Keep Praying About It

“You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.” (James 4:2)

Many of our failures result from our failure to pray. As we examine our mistakes, we discover a forsaken prayer altar and an unopened Bible. James bottom-lines it: ‘You do not have because you do not ask God.’ One Christian leader writes: ‘As a burned-out, frustrated young Christian, I realized one day that living in my own strength was useless. I needed to take my problems to God. In other words, I needed to pray more!’

Found in Matthew 7:7, Jesus tells us, ‘Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you’. Sometimes it’s only when we reach the end of our rope that we turn to God in prayer. And even then, when our prayers are not instantly answered, we give up. Over and over in Scripture, we are told to ‘wait on God’. Why? Because while we’re waiting, God is working. Sometimes He is working on the thing we have asked Him for; other times He is working on us. In such times, He may be correcting our desires and attitudes or directing us towards His will.

Don’t just pray; pray persistently. Don’t stress out trying to make things happen on your own. Give it all to God as you pray. Remember, He has promised that when you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13). So, put your heart into your praying, wait quietly in God’s presence, and let Him speak to you. You will be delightfully surprised at how He answers your prayers.

Prayer

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