“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.” Philippians 3:8-9a, 10a (NLT)

I did something adventurous this past weekend.

I learned how to shoot with a compound bow, and it was incredible!

Our church supports a local men’s ministry called “The Forge,” and every couple of months, we have a gathering that invites men to come together for food, fellowship, fun and of course, fathering from God’s word to their hearts.

Last weekend, I was blessed to attend a live archery clinic put on by “The Forge.”

I have never really been interested in hunting. To me, I could think of a million and a half other ways to spend the hours that a person may spend waiting on a single deer to come close enough to shoot  — and there’s not a guarantee that I would actually shoot what I was hunting!

To be honest, I was hesitant to even go to the event because this kind of manly activity was just not something that interested me.

I was so wrong, and I am very glad I went!

Three men (Brian, Clint and Greg) took the time to teach me how to aim, shoot at and hit targets that night. Surprisingly, I was fairly decent at it!

So decent that a compound bow has made its way to my wish list, along with a NC/SC hunting license.

By the way, October is my birthday month, and it’s also Pastor Appreciation Month, just in case you were wondering what to get me. I also enjoy Chick-fil-A, if you’re wondering what I like to eat. Any size will be appreciated.

I really enjoyed learning this new skill. By the end of the archery clinic, I was hitting 3D deer targets in the “kill zone” at 20 yards away. I learned all kinds of things that night, including technique, using the peep sight,  gripping and even the right way to load, or “nock,” an arrow.

But the greatest lesson I learned that night was about my posture.

Every time I shot an arrow, my goal was to hit the target in the “bull’s-eye.” I fully understood my goal, however, my posture would play a significant role in seeing this accomplished. One of my instructors told me my body was too tense.

Another told me that my grip was too firm, while another had to straighten my legs. Each of these simple lessons on posture would prove beneficial to my success as an archer.

In the Christian life, our aim and goal are to worship and exalt the Jesus Christ, to walk in faith and growth with him, and to witness those who do not know him. But desiring to hit the goal, and actually experiencing the joy and celebration of doing it are two very different things.

Often times, the very reason we fail to know Christ intimately, and serve him joyfully and obediently, is because we are not properly postured before “firing” at the target. The Bible has much to say about our spiritual posture. The Apostle Paul reminded us that we are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). King Solomon taught us to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts instead of ourselves (Proverbs 3:5).

James challenged us to submit to God and flee from the devil (James 4:7). Paul taught us to walk in the Spirit while giving no room for our sinful flesh to take over (Galatians 5:16).

The Apostle Peter’s words humble us when we read that we are called to be holy as God is holy in all of our conduct (1 Peter 1:15). And it was our savior, Jesus Christ, who taught us to abide in him always, and to seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness instead of our own (John 15:1-6 & Matthew 6:33).

If I fail to walk in love, faith, wisdom, holiness, submission, service, obedience and humility (and many other things), I will fail to live the life that Christ desires of me.

What I learned at the archery clinic that afternoon was far more than the basics of bows and arrows. I learned that if I’m going to live the abundant and liberating life that God has planned for me, I am going to have to pay close attention to my spiritual posture.

Daily, I am called to surrender all of my life before him so that he will be the only aim that I pursue. I pray that Jesus is what you see in my life, and I am praying that he is what will be seen in yours.

Let’s be careful that we don’t miss those vital lessons on posture. Without them, we will surely miss who (Jesus) we are aiming for!

I love you, and I appreciate you taking the time to read this article. If I can ever be of ministry to you or your family, feel free to reach out!

For more information on “The Forge” Men’s Ministry, check out facebook.com/TheForgeMen.