Are We Missing the Mark?

Sin is a pretty big subject to tackle. I do not think that we have spent any real time thinking about the word sin or it's meaning. When we were younger we were taught the 10 commandments of the Old Testament and were shown how to use them as sort of a guide to what is right and what is wrong in life. Most of these are now consider "morale issues", But I think, this is where we as individuals loss track of the the true meaning of sin. Don't get me wrong, God's commands are a good guide to how we should live our lives, I just think that we need go beyond the minimum definition and reach for a deeper understanding. Just being a good person and living a clean moral life won't get you to heaven.

I think that we need to go a little deeper, what does the word "sin" really mean in the bible. In the Greek Bible the word "sin" was translated from the word hamartia. The word hamartia covers a broad meaning that includes accident and mistake, as well as wrongdoing, error, or sin.

Further research on the word in Greek Literature show hamartia being used to demonstrate a character flaw or an error in judgment that might not be considered a "sin". Jump ahead a few years to Medieval England and you the word "sin" being used in archery to describe a missed bulls eye on a target IE: missing the mark. That is the definition that I want to discuss here.

As we strive for being the person that God intended to us to be. As we take the journey to self discover and ultimately set goals in our lives, we need something to measure our success against; better yet someone and that someone is Jesus Christ.

So how do we determine if we are missing the mark, well obviously the bible has many scriptures that points to what a godly man or woman should be and we should be using the Bible to guide us. But, we are all different and each of our paths is different and therefore our bulls eye is not going to be the same as the person standing next to you.

Your target in life is to be Christ like in your pursuit of your dreams and God's plan in your life. Just like the archer the only way to hit the target every time is to live it. You need to be intentional about your life and goals and you need to share those goals with others that can hold you accountable. Your target may change as you grow older so plan ahead and be ready to adjust your "shot" as necessary.

So my question to you is this, Are you doing what God has planned in your life and are you answering his call? Because if your not; then by the definition I have presented to you, even though you are without question following the 10 commandments, you are missing the mark God set for you in your life.

Be intentional, be passionate, and every moment, every day, in every situation remember to look to the target Jesus Christ before you act and you will not miss the mark. GOD BLESS