MISSING THE MARK
Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
About 40 years ago I started learning to call game animals. I first learned to call turkeys and I spent countless hours studying the sounds until I could mimic them without having to think about it. As I was studying wild turkeys I started messing with deer calls and learning to call them as well.
Back then my uncle asked me to come attempt to call a buck in for him. One morning at daylight we started walking across a field toward the edge of a bedding area. Half way across the field we peaked over a rise and there in the wide open was a small racked buck and a handful of does. My Uncle backed off 20 yards from the crest and I went another 20 behind him. We knelt and did our best impression of two shrubs growing in the middle of a hay field.
I called and rattled the antlers, that I carried with me, for a just a few seconds and then stopped to see what might happen. Within seconds I could see first antlers then the head, neck and finally the entire body of the buck as he came to the rise, less than 20 yards from my uncle. The buck was so interested in the fight, he believed he heard, that he didn't even notice when my uncle drew his bow. When the arrow was released I watched it fly perfectly towards it's target... Then watched it go cleanly... Right between that bucks antlers and off into the blue sky, never to be seen again.
What happened? My uncle was a good shot with his bow... He just took his eye off of the target. He was distracted and he missed the mark.
How often do we get in this position in life? God puts our target right there in front of us and if we pay attention to Him we will make the shot, yet we become distracted by the things of this world and we fail miserably.
The Greek word for "sin" is hamartia, this is actually an archery term for "missing the mark." We all miss the mark in life, if we didn't there would have been no reason for Christ to come and die for our sins. Even after we've come to know Christ, we still miss the mark in life. It happens when we take our eye and our heart off of what is important, Christ.
When we fail to hit the mark, it's because our thoughts are not godly, and because our thoughts are not godly, we do not behave in a godly manner.
A great archer is one that removes all outside distractions and concentrates on hitting the mark. The same is true of a strong Christian. Keep your eye on the target and your heart on Christ. You will hit the mark and be blessed because of it.
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