{"id":29709,"date":"2021-02-21T03:30:16","date_gmt":"2021-02-21T11:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=29709"},"modified":"2021-02-19T17:34:56","modified_gmt":"2021-02-20T01:34:56","slug":"february-21-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2021\/02\/21\/february-21-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"February 21, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cConsider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Ecclesiastes 7:13<\/p>\n

Crooked Things<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Walk His Way Revisited<\/em><\/p>\n

Crooked teeth can be fixed by braces (if you have enough money). Crooked bones may or may not be fixed by surgery or chiropractic care. A crooked smile can\u2019t generally be fixed because God built it into a person with particular muscle and tendon structures. Crooked tree trunks amuse us; crooked people and crooked tongues (and crooks) do not.<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t always a direct, straight path to a place. Our thinking on any given topic may not be straight. People may not be straight with us. Words may not be straight\u2014they can be jokes, or distortions, or lies. We try to straighten pictures on the wall. We say someone has \u201cgone straight\u201d when they give up an addiction or a life of crime. When we do something \u201cstraight off\u201d, we do it immediately.<\/p>\n

Straight means \u201cwithout a bend\u201d or \u201cdirect.\u201d It can also mean \u201chonest, forthright, honorable.\u201d Or it can mean \u201cnot in a roundabout way; to the point.\u201d Contrast this with the meanings of crooked: \u201cbending, curved, askew, awry, deformed, dishonest.\u201d For the most part, we would choose \u201cstraight\u201d over \u201ccrooked.\u201d \u201cStraight\u201d seems better to our senses, somehow. Straight is good.<\/p>\n

When I first read today\u2019s Scripture, my first thought was that God is sovereign and powerful, and we can\u2019t change what He has done. While this is true, there is a secondary meaning I\u2019d like us to consider.<\/p>\n

God sometimes makes things crooked. Not everything is straight, or straightforward. In this case, straight would not be good. God makes some things crooked for His own purposes, and He always uses it for our good. His will in all things is to lead us, teach us, and strengthen us\u2014to make us into the image of His Son.<\/p>\n

How can we be strong against enemies if we have no battle? How can we gain muscle if we do not work and play? If all things were easy for us, why would we need God? If all paths were straight, why would we need wisdom, discernment, experience, and knowledge?<\/p>\n

If there is a crooked person in my life, God has allowed it. I have Christ in me. I will walk past the crooked, twisted, bent, devious, unscrupulous, fraudulent person with the Helper. I will learn what I must from the Teacher. I will take the blows with the Healer at the ready. I will accept the consolations of the Comforter. I will receive the crown of victory from the Giver.<\/p>\n

I rejoice, because He uses what is crooked to form me. If I try to straighten what He has bent, then I am trying to get out from under His lessons too soon.<\/p>\n

Not every path God puts us on is straight. A crooked path keeps us from knowing what is around the bend. We have to trust Him.<\/p>\n

And what about the crooked things we see in others? Perhaps, like a crooked tree trunk, the very crookedness tells the story of hardship and deprivation, yet the fact that it is still standing testifies of deep roots.<\/p>\n

Lord, keep us mindful that crooked things can be things You created exactly as they are, and we don\u2019t have to straighten them. You have Your reasons.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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