Bow season had just opened. Excitement alone got the boys up early that day. Barely taking time to eat, they gathered their things and were out the door headed for the woods. Hours went by before the first deer was seen. The oldest boy was the first to get a shot off, but the arrow fell short of its target. “If you had taken the time to aim, you might have gotten him,” his brother chided. “The next one’s mine,” he declared. Within the hour, a buck was spotted grazing in a small clearing. Holding his bow perfectly still, the younger brother took careful aim. Before the arrow could strike though, the alert deer darted for the woods.
When the boys returned home that evening, their stories filled the air. It wasn’t until he spoke, that the boys realized their family had a guest. “That fits right in with what I was telling you,” he said to their father. “With some people, they make careless attempts to please God to win their way into heaven, while others take careful aim, hoping that they’ve earned the right to be with God. But it doesn’t matter how little or how hard you try, everyone misses the mark. The Bible says “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’ Like the arrow falling short of its target, all of our efforts to be accepted by God, never come close to the target at all.”
“So why try?” the younger brother blurted out.
“That’s the point! People are fooled into thinking that they have to try, but the truth is, Jesus Christ is the only person who ever hit the target. He never sinned.”
“But how does that help me?” the oldest boy asked, his curiosity aroused.
“The penalty for missing the mark is death. Jesus was perfect. He didn’t deserve to go to the cross and die, but He did go, so He could take your place. He died your death, so that you could have His life. When a person accepts Jesus’ work as his own, that guarantees that that person becomes acceptable to God now, and when he dies it also guarantees him an eternal home with God.”
“How can I accept Jesus’ work?” the father questioned.
“It’s really quite simple,” the visitor explained. “His work is God’s gift to you. You can’t earn salvation in any way. You must believe that this gift is for you, that Jesus died in your place, that God has raised Him from the dead, and that Jesus is alive today and for ever.”
“I believe that with all my heart,” the father declared.
“Me too!” both boys chimed in together.
“Then why don’t you pray this prayer with me right now:
“Lord Jesus, I know that I have missed the mark and that I can never please God by my own efforts. I believe that Jesus died for me and I accept that death as my own. I believe that You raised Him from the dead and that He is alive right now and for ever. Thank You for this gift of salvation. Amen.”
After dinner, their friend went out to his car to get some things. He came in carrying several small books, giving a copy each to the boys and to the father. Looking at the oldest boy, he asked, “What would happen to you if you never ate?”
“He’d lose some weight,” the younger brother chuckled, while patting his brother’s belly.
“I think he means we’d die,” the father said while separating the boys.
“That’s right. And now that you’re believers, you must feed upon God’s word in order to grow. In each of your Bibles, I’ve marked three sections for you to read. I’d like to suggest to you to read two chapters a day from the Gospel of John and one chapter a day from the Book of Proverbs. When you finish with the Gospel of John, go right on into the next section that I’ve marked which is the Book of Acts. It is very important for you to develop the habit of reading the Bible every day. It is in the words of the Bible that you can find the wisdom and strength you will need to live as Christians in this world.
“The next thing you can do to help yourself to grow spiritually, is to pray every day.” Turning to the younger brother he asked, “Can you tell me an area you might pray for every day?”
“I think I might need some help understanding this Bible,” he responded.
“Very good! The Apostle Paul when he prayed for the Christians in his day, asked that they would understand the knowledge that God had provided for them in Christ.”
“Can’t we also pray for family and friends to have the same experience that we have enjoyed today?” the father asked thoughtfully.
“That’s right,” their guest responded smilingly. “It’s important that we share Christ with others, and prayer prepares the hearts of our friends and neighbors to be able to accept that free gift from God. You know, I spent a lot of time prayer for you before I came to visit. But remember, even though we spend time praying for others, we must also be willing to visit people and share Jesus with them.
“It’s also our duty as Christians to pray for the leaders of our country that they may deal wisely and that our country may have God’s blessing upon it.”
Impulsively the younger brother spouted “But what if we don’t like some of those “leaders’ in government? After all, most of them are crooked anyway.”
“Even if that were true, how will they ever change and improve if we never pray for them? It’s important to pray not only for the ones we like, but also for the ones we don’t like,” came the visitor’s response.
“The next thing that you should do, so that you will grow spiritually, is to fellowship with other believers by going to church regularly. Become a committed member, being involved as a worker. There’s so much that you can do in the local church. They need you. You’re important to them. But in the same way, you need them. They’re important to you. Working side by side with other believers will encourage you and give you the strength to live for Christ. When you realize that they go through the same problems that you do, your problems won’t seem so big. You’ll be able to pray for each other and help when it’s needed. The church is the family of God and you now are a member. And just like every other family, there will always be those misunderstandings and squabbles, but that only serves to remind us that by ourselves we still miss the mark and need Jesus’ help in loving and serving others. Our brothers and sisters in Christ aren’t perfect, but neither are we.”
With a serious look on his face, the oldest boy asked, “What should we do if we miss the mark, doing what we know is wrong?”
“The Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9, ‘If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ When I sin, I talk to God about it, telling Him exactly what I have done. His promise to me is that right then and there I am forgiven. And since I am forgiven, I don’t have to feel guilty or condemned, but I do feel very grateful to Him for that forgiveness.”
Rising from the couch, the guest gathered his things. As he was headed for the door, he said, “In church on Sunday, I’ll introduce you to my Pastor. God has given us ministers to help us grow as Christians. If you have any questions or problems, you can always call me, but you can also feel free to talk to the Pastor.”
As they were closing the door, the oldest boy remarked, “You know Father, it’s neat to know that even when I’ve missed the mark through my own efforts, God has caused me to be on target through Christ.”