True sons I

Philippians 2:19-22 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. 

Paul testifies about his son Timothy in a powerful way in our theme scripture. I wonder how Timothy felt when he read it. Did he develop any pride as a result? Some do when they are exalted like that but we don't see it in Timothy atleast.

Can your mentor boast openly about you like that and it doesn't in any way puff you? "One who is to you likeminded, who naturally cares for the state of his church members, who does seek their own but the things which are Jesus Christ's," what a CV? Am certain Paul could say all these about him because he himself had the same traits for it is said you cannot give what you don't have. If he had the opposite, he would have resented what he saw in Timothy but that was not it.

You and I always feel some pride when our sons look like us, whether spiritual or biological. That inner satisfaction is more than what money can buy and yet some disciples think what satisfies their disciplers are the gifts or money they give them, no way they are wrong, terribly wrong. This Easter weekend I spent time at my aunties place and when she saw how my sons was behaving, she said that is exactly how I was when I was a similar age. You don't know how good I felt, even though some ways they were behaving were not pleasant! Atleast I know that they are my sons and I can correct the wrongs and amplify the good. 

Seeing another one acting like you and yet without faking it but it's a seed coming from your loins is awesome. Now that is natural, how much more in the spiritual? When you desire to plant 1000 churches, but your disciplers want 2000, when you long to visit 5 church members weekly, and your disciples desire to visit 10, when you go to pray for 1 hour, but they want to go for 2?  When you get some who think like that, it's so satisfying. 

I remember a statement which was said by one pastor about the children of another pastor. She was like, that pastor has given the world gifts and will leave an inheritance so rare to find. Even if he left nothing tangible, he will leave behind 5 strong children all in the ministry, so zealous for the things of God. That statement stuck to me to this day. It means the spiritual seed is more important than physical things one can leave behind.

It is a cry and longing for the fathers, the disciplers and the mentors to see things in  their disciples or sons, daughters and mentees what they see in themselves. Are you that son that their father takes pride in who does and feel after what he does and feels after?