You can't hit the bullseye on your own

I keep falling short.

Picture a target — a big, bright bullseye — and no matter how carefully you aim, the arrow just won't land where it needs to. That's where we start today, because there's a Bible verse about falling short, and it's not talking about archery.

The verse

Romans 3:23-24 says: "All have sinned and fall short of God's glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve. And because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins."

What this verse is talking about is us not being good enough to be near God — but that God sent Jesus to pay the price for us so we can be with Him. The only way we can do this is through Jesus. There's nothing else we could possibly do to get close to God without Him.

Good stickers and bad stickers

Let's say the bullseye on the target is God. And let's say we've got stickers — ticks for the good things we do, and crosses for the bad things.

I reckon I've done lots of good things this week. I checked on a friend and prayed with them. I helped make some food. I made my bed. I helped out around the house. Tick, tick, tick, tick.

But I also did some bad things too. I mean, not too many, but still — there were times I got frustrated and angry at someone at the shops. I was a bit proud. Oh dear. And then I ate the last cookie when I should have left it for Brett.

So I've got a few good things and a few bad spots. Let's see if I can hit the target now and get close to God.

Nope. Missed.

Well, what if I had more good spots than bad spots? Would that help?

Still missed. It didn't seem to change at all.

A million good things isn't enough

This is what our verse is talking about. You can do a million good things — which is great — but all of us at some point will make a mistake and do the wrong thing. That's what we call sin. And that straightaway means we can't be near God unless we have Jesus in our lives and we say sorry to God.

It doesn't matter how many ticks you collect. One cross is enough to keep you from the bullseye. That's not because God is harsh. It's because God is holy, and we're not. Not on our own.

Jesus covers it all

So this time, let's say sorry to God and thank Jesus for covering all our mistakes and our sins. Imagine a jumper thrown over all those stickers — the ticks and the crosses — covering everything. And then we try again to get close to God, our target, with Jesus in our lives.

And there we go. Much better. Much closer.

That's the difference Jesus makes. Not that we stop making mistakes — we won't. But that our mistakes no longer keep us from God, because Jesus has already dealt with them.

A prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, we want to praise and thank you for Jesus. Thank you that you sent your Son to cover all our mistakes and our sins just so we can be close to you. God, we are really sorry when we make mistakes and do the wrong thing. Please forgive us for those times. Thank you that Jesus can be a part of our lives just by asking. We ask that He is part of our lives today and through the weeks to come — that you will be journeying with us, helping us do the right thing, and reminding us just how close we can be to you through Jesus. We thank you for these things and we pray them in your name. Amen.

This week, you might want to sit with a simple question: am I trying to earn my way to God, or am I letting Jesus bring me close? There's a big difference. And it changes everything.