Much about life is hard to understand. It keeps me asking why?
1) The mystery of bitterness and unkindness:
Bye-bye, bitterness.
Bye-bye, resentment.
Hello, forgiveness.
I’m gonna follow Christ!
(Ephesians 4:31-32)
2) The mystery of racism:
The terrible cruelty of both the horrible human trafficking called slavery, and the violently enforced segregation, has been swept aside and denied. Americans and Europeans will point out and admit the cruelty of the Nazis, but they ignore the cruelty of their own nations. As The USA approaches its 250th year as a country the official celebrations have no interest in acknowledging America’s crimes against humanity and honoring the people who suffered greatly because of them.
The May 11, 2026, issue of “Time” magazine states: “Our disagreements about the history of slavery are never simply about the past. They are about what we believe America is, what it stands for, and who belongs within it.”
Throughout my adult life, God has led me to explore and face America’s cruelty against black people — from selling Black History books door-to-door when I was in college, to reading and studying everything I could find about that history, to being a pastor in a black denomination for three years, to writing the book: “Off the RACE Track — From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.” (Copy and past the full title on Google or ChatGPT.)
3) The mystery of casual, lukewarm Christianity:
Kindergarten Christianity is a good thing for brand new believers, but when Christians settle in and get comfortable staying in sweet spiritual kindergarten something is dreadfully wrong! (Hebrews 5:12) Have you progressed into the biblical of faith that is led by Christ living in and speaking through you day by day? (Colossians 1:27) Kounterfeit Kristianity is kuite kommon. Never settle for less than aligning your life and your beliefs with the Bible (Joshua 1:8) and being directly led from within by God the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:14)
4) The mystery of people twisting the Bible:
A famous passage of Scripture is often used to try to force people to attend church. That’s not what these verses are about.
This is what Hebrews 10:24-25 is calling for: “24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
It’s not telling us to attend an official church service. It is calling us to “spur one another on toward love and good works” and to meet together to be “encouraging one another.” These two verses are about ministering to one another, not about listening to one man give a religious lecture once a week. Let’s be honest in how we use Scripture!
5) The mystery of people blindly following religious leaders:
If a pastor, preacher, or leader is:
* Failing to manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit in daily life, (Galatians 5:22-23)
* Less excited about Jesus than you are, (Philippians 4:4)
* Living and acting in pride or self-righteousness instead of with sincere humility, (James 4:6)
* Believing that he (not Jesus) is the head of a church or ministry, (Colossians 1:18)
* Trying to control people instead of training them to listen to and obey God the Holy Spirit, (Romans 8:14)
* Naming or has named a ministry (or anything else) after himself, (Isaiah 42:8)
* Teaching things that don’t align with the Bible, (Acts 17:11)
* Promoting a political leader in addition to Jesus, (Acts 4:12)
* Manipulating people to give or tithe instead of trusting God to tell people what to give, (2 Corinthians 9:7)
* Having an outward form of godliness, but seldom letting the power of God change him from within, (2 Timothy 3:5)
* Living financially far above the people who support his ministry, (James 4:10)
* Unwilling to have a detailed financial audit (that includes all of his salary and benefits) conducted by an outside auditor, (1 John 1:7)
Avoid him or her.
6) The mystery of war:
Everybody has to die, but people shouldn’t have to die with their body ripped apart on a bloody battlefield. War is not prolife!
War by its nature is unjust. There’s nothing fair about it. Ask the dead civilians how just it is!
Free Gas for Your Think Tank -- Short Reflections, Lasting Encouragement 