Good and Bad Stuff: Lessons from Both Sides

It's called "The Divine Mentor," and I'm reading it because our Pastor recommended it. But the real reason I'm reading it is because it's fun. Wayne Cordeiro has a way of explaining things so that even the most simple person can understand it all, which is great because I won't have to think so much. It's a good contrast when comparing it to John Piper's scholarly works, which are full of concepts so mind bending that they force me to literally put his books down just so I can mentally work my way through his lessons.

The Diving Mentor doesn't work that way. It's simple and to the point. Just today after reading the third chapter, I came across a blurb that I think most college students should remember. On page 46, it reads:

A few years ago a young man left Hawaii for a short time to enter a popular mission's school of biblical studies. When he returned, I asked him, "How were your classes?"

He replied, "Some were dynamite! But some were a total waste."

"What do you mean?"

"Some of the instructors were good, but the rest were awfully bad. So I didn't learn much from them."

"No!" I challenged. "Don't do that! You can learn as much from the bad as the good."

"You don't understand," he said, explaining his plight. "Some were so tedious, we were bored stiff within three minutes."

"That's fantastic!"

"What?"

"You can learn valuable lessons from them," I said. "Take notes on that. Let them read like this: 'Our morning teacher is able to bore us to sleep in only three minutes. This has rarely been accomplished! This must be a miracle.'"

I continued, "Analyze what he did: What made it so boring? Was it his monotone voice? Lack of research? Tired passion? If you can figure out how to learn from the bad as well as from the good, you'll learn twice as much in life."

That's why God put into the Bible raw, unedited accounts of men and women behaving both wisely and foolishly. He hand picked these people to mentor us, the good and the bad together. Remember what Paul said? "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Personally, I love this book. I haven't even gotten into the main dish that this book has to offer, but I'm already learning little things like this that will help me grow as a Christian.

It's funny how people tend to say that the Bible has a lot of negative things in it. I don't disagree. They're right, there are a lot of negative things in it, but it's made so that we learn from them. A person who actually spends time reading the Bible will find that there are a lot of really positive things in it too. Both good and bad mistakes done by imperfect human beings in a fallen world.... It makes for one pretty neat manual, don't you think?

Bible verse from the book is Romans 15:4.

Comment and opinions below! Thanks! :)