You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
–Matthew 5:48
Two old country boys were out in the woods one afternoon bragging about how good of a shot they were. One of them told the other, “I bet you I can hit a bull’s eye from 300 feet away with my rifle.” The other one told him, “Okay, you’re on.”
So he took out his rifle and pointed it at a tree about 300 feet away. In an instant, he pulled the trigger and shot a hole in the tree. Then, he took a piece of chalk, walked up to the tree, and drew a target with the bullet hole right in the center.
“Told ya!” he laughed.
I’ve met quite a few people who are a lot like that old country boy when it comes to moral performance. The shoot first, doing what they can, and then they draw their target by basing their morals and values on how they’ve already shot.
But as Christians, we have our target as far as morals and ethics are concerned: perfection. And when it comes to perfection, there’s not one of us who’s attained it. All of us have missed the mark in some way or another.
So instead of repainting the target, look to the One who can make you hit the bull’s-eye. Trust in Jesus that though you may fall short in your performance, He gives you His righteousness to put you on the mark of perfection!
HIT THE SPIRITUAL BULL’S-EYE NOT THROUGH YOUR PERFORMANCE, BUT THROUGH THE PERFECTION GIVEN TO YOU THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS.
