Taking Aim As We Live Our lives

"So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him." -2 Corinthians 5:6-9

We walk by faith and not by sight. That is to say that we have our eyes fixed on God and not the world. That doesn't just happen. It requires discipline. Intentionality. Deliberate action on our part. Awareness that we are not of this world any longer. "We make it our aim to please Him - who? God our father. When I heard that spoken by the pastor and read it - again for I don't know how many times, I thought about something I had learned on the rifle range in Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri in the spring of 1969. Something called the 8 Steady Hold Factors. The challenge for the instructors was to teach a bunch of trainees, most of whom had never held a weapon, to shoot and hit what they were aiming at. Then, we were trained to fire the M-14's rifle. What are the 8 Steady Hold Factors? Glad you asked.

1. Grip of left hand
2. Placement of Rifle Butt
3. Grip of right hand
4. Right elbow
5. Stock weld
6. Breathing
7. Relaxation
8. Trigger control

So why share that with you? Going through that routine each time I fired my weapon meant that I had to be deliberate, intentional, disciplined.  Just like walking by faith.  If you have trouble being consistent with your faith walk it is most likely that you are not doing those things.  You are just letting life happen and then looking back at what you should have done when you consistently miss your target. Years later when I ran rifle ranges for my unit I would tell them, "Firers, Lock one three round magazine, load, Ready on the right, Ready on the Left, Firers - watch your lanes!" And up would pop the targets. 

What I would say to you - "Christians, Hide the Word in Your Heart (Psalm 119:11), Meditate on it and obey it (Joshua 1:8-9), Love God and Love others (Matthew 22:37-39), Suit up for battle (Ephesians 6:10-18) Get ready on the right, get ready on the left, Christians, watch your lanes!" And up will pop the trials and opportunities of life. This new life requires effort. 

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him." - 2 timothy 2:3-4

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone