The story is told of a man who went to visit an old friend who had recently moved to a farm. When he reached the farm he turned onto the long driveway which led to the farmhouse. On the way up the drive he passed by the barn. What he saw there so amazed him that he stopped the car and examined the barn closely. Painted on the side of the barn were twenty shooting targets. Each target had a bullet hole right in the center of the bull's-eye. No other bullet holes could be found on the barn wall. Whoever was using the barn for target practice was obviously a crack shot.

When he got back in his car and pulled up in front of the farmhouse, his friend was there to greet him. He immediately asked his friend, "Who in the world did the shooting on the side of your barn?"

"That was me," his friend answered.

"I didn't know anyone could shoot so well, much less you. We're talking about twenty targets with twenty dead center bull's eye shots. You mean to tell me that you did that?"

"Made every shot."

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"It was easy. I shot first, then I painted a target around the bullet hole."

Sometimes we kid ourselves into believing that our lives are on target. We make a shot at something and it turns out reasonably well. We may have a pleasant home, a reasonably happy marriage, and have achieved success at work. We paint a circle around these goals and convince ourselves that this is what we have been looking for all along.

Behind the nice homes, good jobs, and reasonable financial security we don't have to look far to see lives falling short of the meaningful, purposeful, abundant life we were originally searching for.

The Bible tells us that "All have missed the target and fall short of God's glorious ideal for living." (Romans 3:23, personal paraphrase).

We were originally created to experience an abundant life characterized by a harmonious relationship with God and those around us. Sadly, this experience is forfeited by our own wrongdoings. Through our own selfishness, rebellion, and indifference towards God, "we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..." (Isaiah 53:6 NIV). No matter how much we justify our independence from God, the consequence is death (eternal separation and punishment). "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 16:25 NIV).

The good news is that God purposefully sent His Son into the world to get our lives back on target. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10 NIV).

Almost everyone knows the historical account of the crucifixion of Christ. What they may not realize however is that when Jesus died on the cross, He was dead-center in the plan of God. His death was not an accident. In the mind of God, it was a logical necessity. Jesus' target from the beginning was the cross. The law requires that all wrong-doings be punished. The law states that "the appropriate compensation of sin is death." (See Romans 6:23). Notice that it doesn't say "sins," plural. How many sins does it take to become a sinner? Just one. How many times do you need to steal to become a thief? How many lies does it take to become a liar? According to God, just one. He doesn't care if you call it a "white lie" or a "black lie"; a "venial" sin or a "mortal" sin. All sin separates us from God. In the eyes of His perfect justice, every sin incurs a debt and demands full compensation.

God's impeccable sense of justice can only be satisfied if full payment is made for our sins. Jesus Christ willingly laid down His life to take the punishment our sins deserved. His righteous living and His righteous act of suffering on behalf of guilty sinners, fully acquits those who put their trust in Him. Jesus' dying words on the cross were: "Tetelestai," meaning "paid in full." (John 19:30). The Greek word was stamped on bills when debts were canceled.

The proof that God accepts the payment Christ made on our behalf is His resurrection from the prison of death (Romans 4:25; John 19:35). According to the law, when is a prisoner released? When his or her debt to society is fully paid.

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit," (1Peter 3:18 NIV). The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead becomes the source for "on-target" living in the hearts of believers.

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself as one who has arrived (or is perfectly on target). But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and stretching toward what is ahead, I press on toward the God-given target to win the prize for which He has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. This is the way mature believers should think about our lives." (Philippians 3:13-15a, paraphrase).