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! :)

The Concerned Captain and the Zealous General

I actually planned on writing this up a few weeks ago, but other topics tend to get in the way. So to all you reading this, here's a story about two people who are trying to figure out how to deal with "the enemy." Learn something from this, because I learned from it personally.

There was one particular Captain in the middle of a war. He and his men believed with all their hearts that they were fighting for a great cause. Morale was dwindling and the situation seemed dire. The captain had only been in a few battles, but none were as bad as this. He decided to call the General to seek assistance. The Captain, now aware, realized that the enemy were only a few hundred miles away. He believed that without help, the battle would be lost! The Captain asked for instruction, leadership, assistance. He needed direction! Surely the General, a higher ranking official would know what to do!

Now the General was a passionate man. He cared for the Captain and his men. So in zeal, he said to the Captain, "Don't worry, I'll handle it!" The General quickly drove to the Captains location and reassured him saying, "I'll take care of these enemies. You have nothing to fear! Give me all your men and I'll take care of this."

The Captain knew the landscape much better than the General. The Captain also knew the conditions of battle better than this General would ever know. The number of supplies, the number and condition of the enemy were also only the Captains'. However, the zeal of the General was too great, so the Captain, dismayed by the battle, let the higher ranking General take control. You can only imagine how that battle turned out...

We all make foolish decisions. Sometimes we're the General. We think we know the situation well enough and then foolishly jump into action. Rather than scan the predicament, we just run and shoot. It's almost as though we're arrogant enough to believe that we always know what we're doing, even if we only know the half of it. Personally, people who act like this hit my pet peeve. But unfortunately, there are times where I'm like this.

Sometimes we're Captains who are scared. We might feel a little pushed by the "enemy." We're willing to get help anywhere it comes. Captains (as far as this example shows) are willing to find a good solution, but lack the backbone to say "No, this is my battle, let me do it. I just need your advise, that's all."

If your in a tight spot and you need help, don't be a fool and allow someone to fix your problem if they couldn't possibly understand the situation (even if they think they do!). Don't just give your problems to people, but go through them yourself. If you need help and advice, then that's fine. Listen to people you look up too, but don't let them do the dirty work for you! You will miss out on the experience you will need when the next battle comes your way.

If your being a "General", then I would advise you to at least think before you make a fool of yourself. Stepping out into a problem and making an attempt to "fix" it would likely result in false success. The last kind of General you want to be is the one who thinks they did an awesome job when in fact, they did more damage than anything. Surly that would be embarrassing.

You'd be more informed if you just went to the problem yourself to figure out why the "enemy" is even fighting in the first place. Who knows, maybe you and the Captain are totally misunderstanding the whole thing!

You'll miss out a lot if you just let people deal with your garbage. One day when you don't have your "general" around, you'll probably get stuck not knowing how to best handle the situation. You might end up trying to fix your problem, but because of the lack of experience, you won't do a good job at it. Learn now while you can.

This happens all the time. In marriages, school, at work, in church, between friends and family, social clubs and groups. Basically, you'll encounter this problem in every social sphere you'll ever be engaged in. If your a Christian and you have a problem with some other Christian who's wronged you, follow Matthew 18:15. If your not a Christian, then I'd also advise you to do the same thing. Don't let resentfulness and bitterness sit in your heart. It's a self torturing experience.

Grow a backbone, pray, then proceed with the advice of elders, friends, parents, and scripture. Don't be a chicken and let some one fight your battles for you.

(additional info: Obviously don't follow this advise if your a little kid. For example, if your under 18 and some creeper dude tries to do weird nasty things to you, then don't go to him to "talk it out", lol. Call the cops and let them handle it. This blog is aimed at adults, obviously)

Why Eternal Punishment in Hell Makes Sense

Most reading this will be angry with me, but I'm doing my absolute best to explain Biblical truth. This is a very sobering topic for some of you and for others, it's a triumphant ring of truth. Which ever way you take this, please consider that I am using the Bible as the absolute standard of truth. This is a weighty one, so if any of you disagree with me, then leave a comment and we'll talk.

Many of you have made an assumption based on the word "fair." I think that's a good place to start because many people get this idea that God must be fair. The general idea is, "If God is a good God, then God's gotta be fair."

But if that's true, then where does Hell fit in? Some people would argue, asking, "Why would a God who is all loving send people to an unending eternity of misery based upon 80 years of sin?" How can God do such a thing and still be called righteous? Isn't that way too severe a punishment? A loving merciful God sending people to Hell for eternity?!

Some people like to think, "If we do 70 years of sinning, then we should get 70 years of Hell. That's fair, good, and just, right?" Let me ask you this. If it took me 20 seconds to murder an innocent victim, should I be sentenced to 20 seconds in prison? You and I know very well that justice doesn't work this way. It's not based off of the time it took to murder, but rather on the severity of the crime.

An offense against the president of some nation will be treated with much more seriousness than a slanderous action against some random person on the street. It's not only a matter of what sin you did folks! It's also a matter of the person you've offended! In this case, it's God!



Apparently we have offended God in such a way that we deserve eternal punishment. But how?

Remember, a legal offense against the president rather than offending some poor bloke is treated with much more seriousness and will earn the offender a considerable sentence in prison. A person who offends God, an infinitely worthy being, will be sentenced to an infinitely worthy punishment. That really shows how much worth God is doesn't it?

Most of us were taught that God is defined as a loving, graceful, merciful, care taking giver of life (and that's true!). But it looks like people were taught only the half of it. Those who teach from the Bible have the responsibility to teach the whole truth, not only parts of it. When people are only given a few pieces of the puzzle, the whole picture never really looks right. It's difficult to come to the right conclusion if your not well informed of everything, which is why I try so hard to make sure I know my stuff, especially with this topic!

It's about time people realize that God simply isn't fair. In fact, it's to our benefit that God isn't fair. If God were to be fair with everyone, we would all go to hell, and justly so. Apparently, God allows people who have lived terribly crummy lives to enter into Heaven with him.

Remember the thief on the cross? This thief was a sinner like all of us, yet Jesus on the cross next to the thief said, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." If you click that and read, you'll see that even the thief hanging next to Jesus actually say's, "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve." Even at his death, the thief knew he was getting what he deserved.

Jesus was being very unfair here (remember, that's a really good thing!), and Jesus promises the thief that on that very day, He and the thief would be together be in paradise. This is simply an awesome act of mercy. The thief was saved because he believed Jesus.

God being unfair is actually a really good thing for us. God offers a free gift, eternal life. Any one who deliberately refuses and ignores this free gift is practically walking to hell on their own accord. (Sounds mean, but it's true)

The first 5 minutes after death

It must be rather amazing right? The first 5 minutes after death has got to be something so marvelous that nothing in our world can possibly come close to comparing.

An officer was describing the accomplishments he made during his life time career. The old man described skirmishes, battles, sieges, personal encounters, hairbreadth escapes, victories, and the anxieties and hope given to a man who was entrusted to command an army. People loved hearing his stories, and they often kept asking for more. Near the end of his stories, he would say, "I expect to see something much more remarkable than anything I have been describing." People did not usually catch his meaning, so he would give a bit more detail by saying, "I mean the first five minutes after death."

Henry Parry Liddon said it best... "'The first five minutes after death!' Surely the expression is worth remembering. This is a solemn thought for any man who has ever lived. Now let's employ for the moment when we are speaking of eternal standards of measurement which belong to time. It is at least conceivable that after a lapse of some thousands or tens of thousands of years, we will probably lose all sense of any succession of events; that existance will come to seem to be a never-ending present; an unbegun and unending now. I think it's conceivable that this is possible. But an even more starteling thought! Let's suppose that at the moment of our entrance on that new and wonderful world we will already think and feel as if we had always been there, or had at least been there for ages."

I think it's interesting, don't you?

Of course, you and I know that not every body gets into that "oh so wonderful world." For those who don't make it, there is another place for them. Let me just say this, The Bible never mentions a purgatory. I know a lot of Catholics disagree, but if you honestly believe that the Bible is the authentic word of God, then I suggest you please trust it, rather than the thoughts of men.

Oh yeah, and there's that 'other' place to consider as well. The place of eternal torment. I'll write a blog soon on why it makes sense for people to suffer this way. (Sounds crazy doesn't it?!) Don't worry, It'll make sense in the next blog.

If you want to know how to get to this wonderful place, then here's a link. Just click HERE. I know most of you will probably not read it, but the page will provide a ton of answered questions on the bottom if you are interested. Don't let the first 5 minutes after death be one of regret.

Girls are like apples???

My friend sent me a humorous message after he read my last blog. Hope you like it! :D

Girls

are like apples

on trees. The best ones

are at the top of the tree.

The boys don’t want to reach

for the good ones because they

are afraid of falling and getting hurt.

Instead, they just get the rotten apples

from the ground that aren’t as good,

but easy. So the apples at the top think

something is wrong with them, when in

reality, they’re amazing. They just

have to wait for the right boy to

come along, the one who’s

brave enough to

climb all

the way

to the top

of the tree.

My first (serious) look into courtship relationships...

Oh man... Here we go. Yet again someone provided me a source or two about "courtship relationships". Sometimes I cringe at the thought, but to be honest with you, I've been getting this nudge inside me saying, "Jorge, you ought to take this seriously. Just do your research, like you always do." Since it's Valentines Day, I figured, "Heck, why not. It's about time I seriously studied this anyways..."

I Googled, "What does Christian Courting look like?"

Apparently there is a different world out there that I seldom ventured. I felt like a foreigner walking through the landscape, taking in new information. It felt like I was rummaging through an old mans dusty trunk stored in some attic, looking for pieces of gold, hoping to find at least something useful. There were no hearts or gift cards. Rather, there were Bible passages. Bits and pieces were coming together forming this picture for me. I felt enlightened, and slightly burdened.

"This is a lot of stuff." That was my first thought. Then I wondered, "Why God? Why is does it seem so complicated? Can't a guy and a girl just get together and be in love, then stay committed together in marriage?"

As I continued, I found that there were specific reasons why such precautions had to exist in courtship relationships. Many of the hows and why's began disappearing as I found my answers. I felt like a child again, learning important truths. I could almost picture it. A Father guiding his son through a mucky marsh, telling him, "Step here", "Don't do that, you'll regret it", "Follow me", "Watch for my lead", "Do as I do."

It's strange that I'm learning all this now. Of all days, why now? Regardless, God has his reasons. I have followed God to this day, and He has never wronged me. In fact, I often find that when I look back, I can see how He had protected me from people, circumstances, and even myself. I find it amazing.

It'll probably take years for me to mostly understand all this. I know I'm not ready for any courting with a girl, and I definitely know that I can't support a family. The idea scares me a bit (but only because I am so far from being ready). But that's alright. The smartest thing to do now is grow in my relationship with Christ. I'll concentrate on that and let Him do the fine tuning on everything. Besides, He knows me better than anyone.

I'm not looking down on people when they decide to go about relationships the dating way. I've known some very happy people who didn't court and got married. What I'm saying is that I don't think that there is only one way. I'm simply choosing it because it seems like the most biblically grounded direction to me, so I'm going to take it. Some people who honestly love the Lord have been put in my path, informing me on "Christian Courtship", and I think I'm going to actually listen and take heart this time. Besides, what's the harm in learning?

Here's one article that I found that was really informative. There were some parts that made me chuckle because I could picture a large old Londoner with a top hat an and eye monocle speaking the very words in this article. Then when I got to the bottom, I coughed up the tea I was drinking. It read, "Written by Charles J. Clarke, London, 1947."

Ok, so maybe Charles J. Clarke was indeed a large old man from London with a top hat and an eye monocle... Either way, it was golden information that I agreed with.

There were some parts that made me grin. This specific portion discussed what a woman should be able to do by the time courtship was permissible:

"The use, of the work-basket is necessary too, as well as so many other aspects of home-making."

In today's world, most girls don't knit baskets, but I get his point.. But I get the point. If you want the link to his article, you'll find that I put it on the bottom of this blog.

I'm beginning to understand why some girls who are brought up this way are the way they are. I've met a few girls who pursue relationships with this approach (I'm not implying that I wanted anything with them), and now I'm suddenly realizing why they were so strange to me. Now it actually seems to make sense because of all this new information. Looking back, I can see where I accidentally and unintentionally over stepped the boundaries they probably placed. Now I feel like a mere school boy who just had an epiphany. If any girls I offended read this years later, then I apologize, lol! :)

Some things I learned:
- A successful courtship ends with either friendship or marriage, there are no regrets.

- What needs to be pointed out is that it is much more than `great fun'. It is one of the most serious issues of your life. During these critical months and years you are choosing your life-partner, and therefore, you are choosing your destiny. You yourself are choosing your own happiness or misery. You are choosing whether the rest of your life is to be lived in the heaven of perpetual `keeping in love' or, may be, in the hell of disharmony and perpetual friction. Other people are not choosing for you. You would be indignant if they attempted to. You insist that this is your choice. And so it is.

- Dating does not necessarily equal "Dirty" unless you make it so. Dictionary.com's definition is pretty vague. Since so many people have different ideas about what "dating" is, then the definition seems relative. For you, dating means "X". For me, it may mean "K". If you and your decided partner want to talk about such things, then make sure your definitions are understood.

There's a ton more I learned, but I know there's a mountain of information waiting for me. Looks like I have some reading to do.

http://www.worldspirituality.org/christian-courtship.html

So about Satan and his Demons...

We have... a supernatural enemy. Christians, we know that we are from God, and the whole world has been influenced by the evil one. People probably forget that:

He's beaten the lives out of innocent people. He desires to tempt the needy into sinning against themselves and against God. He's destroyed marriages and has sexually assaulted every individual that has ever lived. Starved billions of people, causing them to die in their own filth. He's misled young and old minds into his ways. He has raped the world and it's creation at the expense of his wicked ambitions, desiring the manipulation of God's good creation.



Now you may disagree with me, but it seems that the world has absolutely no defenses against the devil. What can politics, the voices of people, and the military do against a force that they cannot see? What about intellectuals, spiritualists, and philosophers? What can they do when an enemy as sharp as Satan comes at their door steps? Worst of all, how will these people recognize Satan or his demons when they come?

Let's also consider the fact that these beings are so powerful that they can influence things on a whole 'nother dimension. The supernatural (them) can influence the natural (us). It doesn't work the other way around. Our "natural" can't really do much of anything to the "supernatural." These "things" are waiting for an opportunity to vent their anger out on us. They desire to hurt us, to see us suffer in light of the cross, and they are always there, around us. It's like some invisible black beast looming over all of us, checking our every move, waiting for even the smallest sliver of room so that it can squeeze a finger into our lives. They hate us, they want to see us in pain. Their ultimate goal is to lead us away from the God of life. If you are saved, then I think it's safe to say that their goals change. Concerning a saved person, they will want to make you as ineffective as possible.

The Bible says', "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."
~1 Peter 5:8-9

Thankfully there is a loophole. God has blocked Satan and his demons to only go so far.

In the first chapter in the book of Job, Satan desires to hurt Job, a man God called righteous. You'll note that God allows Satan to hurt Job, however, God only allows Satan to go so far. God limits Satan's ability to do harm. In other words, there is no God Vs. Satan. From the very beginning Satan lost. Lucifer has always been in submission to God, even though he hates God.

As I've said, the world has absolutely no defense against this supernatural power of the devil. The only thing that is helpful is the Word of God. Jesus Christ, God, is the only force that holds everything together. With out God sustaining everything, you can only imagine the rampant destruction that Satan would inflict.

Satan rules, absolutely except where God's providence restrains him, everywhere. No body knows what mercy they are enjoying when the sun comes up.

Any comments or thoughts? Post below!