Taking responsibility for one’s personal wrong doing is difficult for many people. As bowhunters, we find ourselves messing up too many times. That poor release, “I should have waited for a quartering away shot”, “If I had only set tight for 5 more minutes” are just some of the reasons we have for poor performance.
The Bible calls our lack of good performance and screw-ups, SIN. It is very clear that we all do it. (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23). In fact, Paul uses the very term that was popular in his day when an archer missed his intended target. It was called “sin,” which meant, “missing the mark.” Obviously, an archer’s poor performance was there for all the fellow archers and bystanders to see. I am sure it was humbling but undeniable.
Have you ever noticed that it is harder to tell your hunting story when you’ve messed up and come home empty handed? This past October my only shot was an out-right, inexcusable miss. Frankly, that time of poor shooting left me with no meat in the freezer. That’s not a good story.
We are all aware, to some degree, of the Ten Commandments found in the Bible. (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5) They are the civil building blocks for any people. Morally and spiritually our Nation was much better off when they were acceptable for unquestionable display.
We may not be able to return what was lost to the public square but we are without excuse as an individual. What are you doing with them? Notice they are not God suggestions, they are commands. What is your relationship to God? (The first four talk about that.) Is Christ really first in your life? Are you thinking and acting like a Christ-follower or are you living vainly and in an unholy way? If so, my friend, you are “missing the mark?” What is your relationship to other people? (The last 6 talk about that.) Are you practicing the sensible code of ethics in your daily life? If not my friend, you are “missing the mark.”
Jesus, said it this way in Mark 12:30, 31: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
Our failure to hit the mark, our bent towards sin and wrong doing ought to drive us to our knees, begging God’s forgiveness. As a Nation we must do this. As individuals we must do this. And the Church and Christians should lead the way. If our sin does not cause remorse and disappointment, something is very wrong. (Acts 3:19; Luke 15:21)
In her sin, the Church is powerless. In our sin, we are powerless. Confession and forgiveness is the only path to victory in Christ. (I John 1:9) Are you ready to say, “I have sinned?”
We all want to be better bowhunters. And we should all want to be a Christian, certainly a better one. The path to both is to simply follow the rules.
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul (Philippians 3:14)
Dave Roose
CBA Founder
The Bible calls our lack of good performance and screw-ups, SIN. It is very clear that we all do it. (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23). In fact, Paul uses the very term that was popular in his day when an archer missed his intended target. It was called “sin,” which meant, “missing the mark.” Obviously, an archer’s poor performance was there for all the fellow archers and bystanders to see. I am sure it was humbling but undeniable.
Have you ever noticed that it is harder to tell your hunting story when you’ve messed up and come home empty handed? This past October my only shot was an out-right, inexcusable miss. Frankly, that time of poor shooting left me with no meat in the freezer. That’s not a good story.
We are all aware, to some degree, of the Ten Commandments found in the Bible. (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5) They are the civil building blocks for any people. Morally and spiritually our Nation was much better off when they were acceptable for unquestionable display.
We may not be able to return what was lost to the public square but we are without excuse as an individual. What are you doing with them? Notice they are not God suggestions, they are commands. What is your relationship to God? (The first four talk about that.) Is Christ really first in your life? Are you thinking and acting like a Christ-follower or are you living vainly and in an unholy way? If so, my friend, you are “missing the mark?” What is your relationship to other people? (The last 6 talk about that.) Are you practicing the sensible code of ethics in your daily life? If not my friend, you are “missing the mark.”
Jesus, said it this way in Mark 12:30, 31: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
Our failure to hit the mark, our bent towards sin and wrong doing ought to drive us to our knees, begging God’s forgiveness. As a Nation we must do this. As individuals we must do this. And the Church and Christians should lead the way. If our sin does not cause remorse and disappointment, something is very wrong. (Acts 3:19; Luke 15:21)
In her sin, the Church is powerless. In our sin, we are powerless. Confession and forgiveness is the only path to victory in Christ. (I John 1:9) Are you ready to say, “I have sinned?”
We all want to be better bowhunters. And we should all want to be a Christian, certainly a better one. The path to both is to simply follow the rules.
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul (Philippians 3:14)
Dave Roose
CBA Founder
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