"Hitting the Mark"

“In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:6

Casting is one of the most important skills in fishing. Successful anglers find spots or targets where they believe fish are located, and they cast to the target with great accuracy. Placing a lure or bait at just the right spot can mean the difference between getting a fish to strike and scaring it away.

While making a perfect cast might seem difficult, skilled anglers get pretty close to “hitting the mark” each time. Casting accurately takes practice and focus. When we fail to perfect the skill of casting, we often find ourselves all tangled up.

Hitting targets in fishing is a lot like hitting God’s mark for living. God gave us a set of commandments to aim for or live by. Just like casting, hitting God’s target takes focus. It takes prayer, bible study, Christian fellowship, and practice. When we fail to focus on hitting God’s mark, we often find ourselves all tangled up in difficult situations.

Unfortunately, all of us fail to “hit the mark” when it comes to living the life God desires. We seem to miss the mark more than we hit it. The Bible says that “all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory”. (Romans 3:23) That means that if we miss one of God’s commandments, we have sinned. And the penalty for sin is eternal death or separation from God. (Romans 6:23)

As always, there is good news! God loves us so much that while we were yet sinners and missing his mark, he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. Jesus came to take the penalty for our sins. (Romans 5:8)

When we profess our faith and belief in Christ as our Lord and Savior, we no longer need to try and hit God’s mark on our own. God fills us with his Spirit to help us hit the mark with greater accuracy. (Acts 2:38)