Mentor Or Taskmaster?

Many believe Me to be a harsh teacher and My course of study to be rigorous at best. Because of this misunderstanding about My approach, only a small portion of believers (those who were meant to also be My pupils) are willing to take My education process seriously.

So while some have developed a passion for learning My ways, most are satisfied with simply having passed the entrance exam, and, as such, don’t move beyond the basic understanding of faith, which they received at the moment of salvation. And while they’ve been given plenty of opportunities for spiritual growth, these uncooperative students are content to remain at the same level of comprehension as they held when we were first introduced.

This may be, in part, due to the false impression some of these students carry about My intentions. They still think of Me as a strict taskmaster, one who is only interested in ‘proving himself right’ about man’s ‘incompetency’. And so, because of this misperception, these hold an unhealthy view of Me within their hearts, one that believes I am set on exposing their failings for the sheer pleasure of bringing chastisement.

But this rigid depiction of Me is not who I am at all. Yes, I do require perfection as a prerequisite to gaining entrance into My Kingdom, but knowing from the beginning that mankind could not meet this standard, I provided an alternative: a plan for One who would fill this demand so that any and all were allowed into My classroom. Although I do test My pupils by asking them to take an exam or two, until they achieve a passing grade, I provide plenty of opportunities to try again; not as a means to criticize, or mock their successive attempts to overcome, for I am only ever rooting for their success.

Does this sound like an Instructor who is harsh and unyielding when it comes to His teaching methods? Or does it portray Me as having the heart of a mentor, as One who desires to guide His children into all Truth?

Therefore, because it is true that I have the patient heart of a loving mentor, this revelation should build confidence in My own, to the point where they are certain My teaching and testing were both designed for their good; the establishing of My divine wisdom in their hearts.

So then, what these learn from Me must be firmly planted within their being; yet it is through experience that this is achieved. Studying the text of My Scriptures without opportunities for practice will not provide enough training to cause a greater growth to arise, since there’s more to My core curriculum than simply reading through the Bible. And while some have made it their occupation to study My Word, unless practical application is incorporated into their research, a surface knowledge of My ways is all these shall retain. For how can one know if what they have read is true without first applying My instructions to their own life?

But even if these were to practice what they preach, more often than not their behavior is only skin deep, coming from a sense of duty, like that which is found in the more religious scholars, those who are hard pressed to truly love others, or Me, for that matter.

How then, can they acquire this form of selfless care unless they experience this kind of unconditional affection from the One who is perfect love?

For a start, those who are My own should cast off any negative opinions they hold of Me; ideas which claim that I am only after punishment and vindication (since it’s true that most of man’s difficulties proceed from his own hand). Let none of My own, therefore, be so quick to render judgment against Me, for their own conclusions could never come close to the full realization of who I am.

Be apprised, then, that I have not come into your life to punish or demean you in any way. The reason for the challenges you are facing is so that you mature into the likeness of My Son. This process of change was not established in an effort to be mean, because every lesson I offer originates from My lovingkindness. What kind of Teacher would I be if I did not school My students on how to live in a place of higher existence, where their conduct and inner thought life express what was witnessed in their Savior?

That being said, My children should be confident, then, that when I bring discipline or correction upon their life, it is not because they have angered Me. Certainly not! It is solely because I am repositioning their hearts to align with Christ.

So don’t become fearful when admonishment comes, since all that I do in your life is to bring about My good. Stop thinking with man’s sensibilities when it comes to who I am, for those who seek to uncover this mystery (using man’s limited reasoning) shall always be woefully disappointed. Although believers in this lifetime won’t know the depth and breadth of who I am, they are still able to glean some deeper truths if they are willing to sit under My tutelage.

But first, let’s remove any of those old misguided notions about who I am as not only your Teacher, but your loving Father as well.