Missing the Mark

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Growing up in North Carolina, I spent hours throwing darts. It wasn’t about competition; it was just a fun way to pass the time. I never bothered to check if I was any good, I just enjoyed the game.

Years later, now living in Maryland, a neighbor invited me to a party. They were playing a game called 501, and my opponent was an accomplished player who had competed in local tournaments. He was a great guy, but he chuckled when I told him my dart-throwing experience was limited to throwing outside on my porch. I went first. As the game went on, the onlookers were surprised to see that the score stayed neck-and-neck. This guy was good, but his mark was off. I won, not because I was a better player, but because he wasn’t as good as he thought.

Reflecting on the day, none of us are as good as we think. So what does it mean, when you try your best but it’s not good enough? Many will say “practice makes perfect, so keep pushing.” But what is perfection?  Is it beating everyone who challenges you? It is setting a world record until someone breaks it?  No, there is only one standard of perfection and it is God.

The primary Hebrew word for sin is chataah, which means to “miss the mark” or “go astray.” We often measure our lives by our own standards. We think we’re good people because we do good things, much like my opponent thought he was a good player. But when it comes to God’s standard, our best efforts are never good enough.

The truth is, we’ve all missed the mark. The Bible says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23, NLT) We’ve all gone astray and the penalty for that is spiritual death.

How do we escape that punishment? It’s not by trying harder. It’s by doing what He says. It is as easy as A, B, C:

  • Admit you’ve missed the mark and are a sinner. (Romans 3:23)
  • Believe that Jesus died and rose again to forgive your sins. (John 11:25-26)
  • Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and live a life that is pleasing to Him. (Romans 10:9-10)

We can never hit the perfect mark on our own. Yet, God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. As Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

When it comes to the standard of God, we are all like my opponent—confident in our ability, but still falling short. God is the only one who always hits the mark.

EM