Missing the Mark
One of the words for sin in the Greek New Testament is 'amartia. It is a very interesting word, because it means "to miss the mark." When a person shoots an arrow or a bullet, and the bullet or arrow misses the bull's eye, it is missing the mark. It can be close, or it can be very far away, but it is still the same effect. Sin is missing God's will for our lives, even if we don't know His Word or His character.
I am afraid so many churches and Christians as constantly sinning by this standard. I don't mean for us to be overcome with guilt and paralyzed so that we give up and do nothing. God does not mean for us to take it that way. He wants us to realize what is important and do it. That is where we are missing the mark. We are giving all of our time and effort to things that don't really matter for eternity. We are missing the point of the Christian life. It is not about going to church, as much as it is about being the church in the world. It is not so much about learning new things in God's Word, as it is about telling others what we know. It is not about us; it is about the ones who have never come to know Jesus and are on their way to Hell.
We need to keep our eyes on the bull's eye of God's target. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." We must keep in mind that everything revolves around knowing Christ, walking with Him, and leading others to Him. If we do that, we will be hitting the mark in our families, our jobs, and in all of life. The other stuff is missing the mark.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 14-15 and Luke 17:1-19.
I am afraid so many churches and Christians as constantly sinning by this standard. I don't mean for us to be overcome with guilt and paralyzed so that we give up and do nothing. God does not mean for us to take it that way. He wants us to realize what is important and do it. That is where we are missing the mark. We are giving all of our time and effort to things that don't really matter for eternity. We are missing the point of the Christian life. It is not about going to church, as much as it is about being the church in the world. It is not so much about learning new things in God's Word, as it is about telling others what we know. It is not about us; it is about the ones who have never come to know Jesus and are on their way to Hell.
We need to keep our eyes on the bull's eye of God's target. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." We must keep in mind that everything revolves around knowing Christ, walking with Him, and leading others to Him. If we do that, we will be hitting the mark in our families, our jobs, and in all of life. The other stuff is missing the mark.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 14-15 and Luke 17:1-19.