1 Samuel 20:20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.

I remember at time in my Christian walk when sin was described to me as missing the mark. It bothered me that sin should be so casually described. For my part I ignored the greater issue, not accuracy but rather aim.

Imagine if you will being at a target range. Gun or bow, whichever you can picture in your mind best. You have your target in front of you. It is your target. The range targets are side by side and hitting someone else’s target might score well for them, but you have missed your target.

In the Army our targets were placed in front of sand dunes. If you missed your target you knew if you missed left, right, high or low, because the sand would fly. It helped to adjust our aim, but the intent had always been to aim and hit the target. If we should swing out guns from down range so that the barrel was pointed at anything other than the target, there was always someone there to stop us and make us get control of our weapon.

This is the issue of the aim of love. As long as you are aiming at love, hitting the target is nothing more than adjusting for the miss. It isn’t a sin to try, it is a sin to aim anywhere but at love.

Psalm 4:2 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah. (NASB)

Not love as the world knows it, but the love that dwells within you, aimed, out, towards the object of affection, towards people in a lost and dying world.

You do not at love, you aim with love.