Jesus At Work...

God Don't Give No Junk

by Jacob Mann Jones

How excited you must be that God has given you the perfect mentee!

You’re probably thinking I’m crazy right now. Yup, probably have to be a little loony to invest in lives in West Dallas. Well they thought Jesus was a little out there as well in His day, so at least I’m not alone in that department.

Being a mentor can be a struggle. It’s tough building into the lives of your own kids, much less a kid from a radically different background. It takes away your time and energy; it tests your patience and resolve; it can drain you mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually. Yet it is all worth it. I often wondered early on if I was making a difference, or if this was a mistake. Will touching one kid really make an impact in West Dallas? Then I’m reminded how Jesus rejoiced over one lost sheep in Matthew 18:13. Yup, it’s worth every last bit of all I’ve got, of all you’ve got!

Recently I’ve been challenged to see my mentee not through my own eyes, but through God’s eyes. After all your mentee has been presented holy and blameless before God (Ephesians 1:14; Colossians 1:22). Markeist has been a gift from God to me, and God don’t give no junk! When God looks at Markeist He sees the finished product and rejoices! What do you see when you cast your eyes upon your mentee? Jack Taylor once said, “When there is receiving there is liberty and light.” Have you received your mentee as the great gift from God that they are?

I’ve been blessed the last couple of years to share life with Markeist. He has taught me that LOVE is spelled T-I-M-E. He has taught me how to truly listen. I’m more excited about the many years to come. I get to watch this kid with buckets of energy grow into the man that God has called him to be, to watch him live out Psalm 101. I leave you with a picture of Markeist, modeled after 1 Corinthians 16:13-14…

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”