Hosea 7:16: “They return, but not to the Most High; / They are like a deceitful bow. / Their princes shall fall by the sword / For the cursings of their tongue. / This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.”

October 30th, 2021 by Pastor Ed in devotional

God described the character of His people as being like a deceitful or crooked bow, meaning they were like a warped bow that always misses its target. This illustration should cause us to also carefully consider what we are aiming at in life. All too often our problem is not just that we are bent sinners, but that we are shooting at the wrong target. Like the old joke says, “If you are aiming at nothing, you will hit it every time.”

We need to continually ask ourselves, “What am I shooting for, aiming at, today, tomorrow, next year, the next decade?” Scripture clearly teaches us that our aim and target should be to please God; we need to simply stay focused on that goal. Praying, “Lord, I want everything You want for me today,” is simple to say, but difficult to consistently keep pressing toward.

A small boy was being taught to shoot an air rifle by his older brothers and dad. He and his family set up a paper target and then shot away. His family all shot straighter than him. To see what was wrong with his shooting, his dad stepped around to watch him. The son aimed the gun, and then just as he pulled the trigger, he closed his eyes. The problem was simply solved; he needed to keep one eye open. No wonder he missed the target. When we miss the target because of sin, the solution is the same. We need to open our eyes to the reality of the sin, turn, confess, and refocus on the target of pleasing God. Then, since God chooses to forget the mistakes we confess, we need to do the same. Forget the mistakes, but remember the lessons they taught us.

“LORD, we ask You to keep us on target today. We know that many things will try to distract us from serving You, but we trust You will help keep our eyes open and focused on You.”