When A Child of God
By Tom M. Roberts
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Many of the words of scripture draw a mental picture for us so that we can mentally see or sense the truth being taught by the Holy Spirit. Such is the case with sin: literally “missing the mark.” Our mind’s eye can picture or visualize a man with bow and arrow aiming at a bull’s eye target, but going wide of the target – missing the mark. In spiritual matters, we sometimes “miss the mark” and are guilty of sin. We are reminded by the apostle Paul that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Falling short is “missing the mark,” and we are all guilty of sin. What happens when we sin, and what should we do about it? Each of needs to know the answer to this for each of us has sinned. Let me give you an example of something in my own life to illustrate the point. At an early age, I obeyed the gospel and worshiped at a faithful church. Being with others in the assemblies was a wonderful experience and I cherish those memories, even today. But after school and on Saturdays, I caddied (carried golf bags for golfers) at a local golf course (getting paid 5 cents for each hole, or 45 cents for an entire round!). The other caddies had a bad habit of cursing and I began to imitate them. At first, it made me feel big and I was accepted as one of the crowd. I suppose this is known today as “peer pressure.” Each of us wants to belong and to be a part of our age group. At that time, I was doing something wrong to impress others and my language was much less than what it should have been. This went on for only a short time, but I missed the mark of living the life of a Christian. I knew I was doing wrong! When I went to worship on Sunday, I felt terrible inside. I felt guilty and my conscience hurt me when I took the Lord’s supper and bowed in prayer. I didn’t want my friends at church to know what I did, but I realized that God had heard every word. Guilt is a terrible burden and it hurt me to know what I had done. As we prayed, I asked God to forgive me and promised that I would quit cursing. From that day to this, I have never cursed any more. The word of God teaches that a person who is not a Christian must be baptized to “wash away his sins” (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:1-7). For Christians, there is another plan of redemption and that is to “repent and pray” for forgiveness (Acts 8:1-24). True repentance is a “change of mind, followed by a change of life.” I am so grateful that I learned early in life how to erase sin out of my life. Jesus died, not only for those who have never obeyed the gospel, but his blood will wash away a Christian’s sin when we repent and pray, walking in the light of the gospel (1 John 1:7). When I corrected my life, I was able to worship God again with a clear conscience, and so can you. Be careful, young Christians, that you do not let the Devil control your speech or your habits. Steer clear of bad language, use of alcohol and drugs, illicit sex and “missing the mark” just to be with the crowd. As a young Christian, I learned a valuable lesson about the guilt of sin and the shame it brings into your life. Now, as an older Christian looking back, I am so thankful that the Lord forgave me and I never want to make that mistake again. Do you miss the mark? Do you know how to correct your sins? I hope you can use the mistakes of my life to make you stronger in your faith in Christ. |
You shall rise before the gray headed |
