Eyes on Men
Posted by Matt Postiff September 23, 2013 on Matt Postiff's Blog under GospelĀ
Guest post by Bill Goodwin
I've written before about my father-in-law, Dale Nichols, and his expertise with a rifle.
This time I'd like to tell you about a competition shoot in which he was a finalist. The competition was keen among those Northern Michigan men. It finally was reduced to Dale and another marksman. They each were assigned their targets and were to shoot ten shots at 100 yards. Any style sights were allowed. The other marksman was using a .30-06 with a telescopic sight, while Dale used his .30-06 with peep sights. They each had fired nine shots. The man with the telescopic sight had hit the target so perfectly that there was but one hole in the center where all nine shots hit. They were preparing to fire that final shot when the other man swung his rifle over on Dale's target and looked through his scope and said, "Dale, you've got just one hole in the center of your target too." Then he swung his rifle in place for his final shot and fired. Dale fired his final shot. That tenth shot the other man fired was one half inch to the right of the center. Dale's final shot was in the center, winning the match.
The Bible says in Romans 12:1-2, “...let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus...” Whether it's a race or rifle competition, if we take our eyes off the goal, we'll miss the target and suffer loss. Phil. 3:14 says, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Any mediocre Christian can lead a mediocre Christian life. But like my father-in-law whose skill was not only in accuracy, but in concentrating on the "mark", a skilled Christian can have more success by not allowing himself to place his "Eye on Man."