The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro: Week Nine: Chapter 9: “Oak all the way to the core”
Hi everyone, and welcome to week nine of our summer reading program!
This week’s chapter began with these words: “We live in a veneer world, one in which image is often valued more than reality, reputation more than character, and perception more than actuality. Nevertheless, when it comes to the substance life is made of, veneer is not enough…it has to be genuine all the way to the core.”
Are YOU genuine all the way to your core? Am I?
Back in the 1990s Evander Holyfield (one of my favorite athletes of all time) bore the nickname: “Real Deal.” Would that name be descriptive of you and me? Are we “oak to the core” or are we of a more superficial character? As he has done all through this book, Pastor Wayne Cordeiro insists in this chapter that regular time in God’s Word is the ultimate prescription for an oak-like core.
On page 131 (in my copy of the book at least) he said it this way: “A daily time at the feet of Jesus causes a metamorphosis of authenticity. Somehow the alchemy of the Scriptures exchanges the false for the genuine. It happens slowly, over time. But as you spend that consistent time in the Word, the Divine Mentor will make sure your oak structure is more than a thin exterior. He’ll take it right to the core of your being.”
I also loved the good visual image he painted when he wrote about marathon runners—both professionals and novices—who “hit the wall” at around the eighteenth mile. He said, “What makes the difference? Is it the wall itself? No…the solidity of the wall is determined by what the runners have in them when they hit it.”
That reminds me of a statement I heard in a message from the late Jerry Falwell: “The true character of a man or woman is not determined by their external symbols of success, but by what it takes to discourage them.” A life-long habit of daily devotions will enable us to endure the worst of life’s storms with our character and faith intact.
I really hope that each of us is intentionally stepping up our systematic discipline of spending time daily with God. It is imperative that we do this. As Wayne said, “The Bible reads us as much as we read it,” and we desperately need to be “read,” revived, challenged, and strengthened by the timeless power of the Word of God. Our world needs “oaks,” and the first step to becoming one is to receive and cultivate the seed of the eternal Word of God in our hearts.
Love you all!
Chris Jackson