Missing the Mark

On New Year’s Eve I was invited to go quail hunting by my uncle, Stan Butt. With some of my cousins there and some other friends, I was invited to be one of the shooters for the first leg of this hunt. The birds were located fairly quickly, and it was determined that they didn’t want to fly. It got to be very comical as several of the guys were trying to get the birds out of the edge of the woods and up into the air. Wouldn’t you know that when they did finally get up to fly that the first bird flew right out in front of me. It should have been an easy shot, but I unloaded both of my 12 gauge shells harmlessly in the vicinity of that nearby bird. Can we say that was a “fowl?” Everybody hounded me for missing the bird at those close of a range, and I could do nothing but take it. Needless to say I felt better after my cousin, Kyle fired two shots with the same results I had. It was good to know I was not alone. I did go on to hit a few birds after that to redeem myself before I had to leave, but that humbling experience reminds me of a mark that we all miss. The Apostle Paul says “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). According to Jimmy Allen in his commentary on Romans, the word that is translated as sinned here has as one of its meanings “failing to hit the mark” (32). Ever since sin reared its ugly head in the Garden of Eden, people have been missing the mark when we do what is contrary to God’s law. Whether it’s in our talk, our actions or our thoughts, we are going to continually fall short of the expectations God has for us by sinning. Thankfully, Jesus Christ provided a remedy for this sin. Paul says “for the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Those who are in Christ are continually cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus if we confess our sins (1 Jn. 1:7, 9). When we do sin, we have an Advocate in Christ with the Father (1 Jn. 2:1). The next time you miss the mark on something whether it be in hunting, sports, etc., remember that we all miss the mark when it comes to sin. Even when you miss something at point blank range (such as the quail!), remember that is minor compared to missing God’s mark. However, there’s good news: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:1-2).