In Archery (Romans 8:2)

In warfare back in Bible days,
An archer was the one who laid
The mental image for a ‘sin’–
“To miss a target-mark within”.

Of course to miss a target meant
One missed the prize – and so it went
For sin as well – you miss the prize
Of glory – that we realize.

Now concept of a “law”, we’d say,
Or “principle” another way,
Is basically “What’s handed out
As daily feed” or thereabout.

So steady diet of some thing,
Affects one’s mind – can comfort bring
(Or not – like fare of sin and death
With harvest of unrighteousness).

A steady round of missing marks,
Not winning glory, no doubt starts
A person’s day off not too well –
Instead, a death of living hell.

But say your diet were to change,
So daily round was rearranged,
That life flowed through you all the time;
You hit your marks – that would be fine!

For often we know what to do,
But getting there creates a stew;
We know the mark we cannot hit,
We do our best, we aim for it.

One time a fellow bought two books,
But left one there – he failed to look
At what was in his shopping sack;
Said when at home, “I must go back”.

When he arrived back at the shop,
He picked it up and out he walked;
“It’s paid for with the first”, he said –
That’s like the Spirit (this I read).

And so it is, a package deal –
Baptized we are, the Spirit’s real
Within our lives – the punch to make
The arrows hit – the prize to take.

Not magic – more a change in life;
We cross the pond from stupid strife;
We “died” to world’s quite foolish ways;
Are “buried” 'neath baptismal waves.

Then “raised to life” on other side;
No more we miss the target wide,
But hit it – Spirit works with us,
Amazing Grace within the muss.

A change of diet so to speak;
This Spirit-fare has set us free –
No longer fare of “miss the mark”
And “can’t do that – why even start?”

So I no longer beat self up,
Though life is sometimes pretty rough
For me, as for the others here;
But tiger’s in my tank – that’s clear.

No longer slave to sin and death,
But free at last to do my best,
With grace from God allowed to guide
My work – each by the other’s side.

As I get older, now and then
A death occurs to family, friend;
A diet of that sort of thing
Could darkness to my soul soon bring.

But there again, all that has changed;
My life in Christ that’s rearranged,
For now I see that here and there
Are quite the same – eternal fare.

For change is just a part of things;
Death shifts locale, new purpose brings;
I have a lot to finish here –
This diet-change has made it clear –

To me that life can be a blast;
Success (in Christ) can be at last
A living possibility –
That arrows on the mark I’ll see.

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