We humans like things straight - clean lines, clear paths, a sense of order. But life rarely gives us that. We stumble, we falter, we get it wrong. And yet, somehow, God still abides in us.
There’s an old saying: God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick. It reminds us our flaws don’t limit His, or his purposes. In fact, Scripture is chock-full of examples of how God works through imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will.
Moses doubted. David fell. Peter denied. Paul persecuted. Yet God still called, redeemed, and used them. Not because of their strength but in spite of their weakness. He does the same with us.
We tend to think God needs us at our best before He can use us. We wait, delay and hem-and haw until we feel worthy, qualified, or put together. But if perfection was required, no one would be fit for His work. Thankfully, God’s power isn’t bound by our limitations. He doesn’t just work around our brokenness - He works through it.
The lines He draws may not always make sense to us. They take unexpected turns, twist through failure, loop through seasons of waiting. But in the end, they form something unmistakably His.
So if you feel unqualified, take heart. Your story - your mistakes, your detours, your struggles - are not wasted. In the hands of the Master, even a crooked stick can trace the straight path of grace.
Great reminder! This series of sentences is really powerful- "Moses doubted. David fell. Peter denied. Paul persecuted. Yet God still called, redeemed, and used them."
ReplyDeleteA very encouraging reminder! Thank you brother!!
ReplyDeleteNice! I do think we need to remember that Jesus did in fact demand perfection—Mt. 5:48. God’s standard is nothing less than perfection; that’s why we need a perfect Savior.
ReplyDeleteRomans 7:21-25
ReplyDelete[21] I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. [22] I love God’s law with all my heart. [23] But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. [24] Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? [25] Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Romans 8:2-6
[2] And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. [3] The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. [4] He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. [5] Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. [6] So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Not one righteous, we're ALL crooked sticks
ReplyDeleteThis is a reminder of the words of Jesus-“ Remain in me and I will remain in you
ReplyDelete…..“John 15:4
We have a tension in the NT—on the one hand, we are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17); our ‘old man’ is gone (Eph. 4:22-24) and our life is now hidden in Christ (Col. 3:1-3)—we are no longer “crooked sticks” by nature. And yet, we sin; quite happily, I confess. The same apostle who wrote the verses I mentioned above also wrote “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31) and called himself “the worst of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). My point is simply that we need to guard against reducing what Scripture teaches about our identity in Christ to convenient cliches.
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