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b'READ: JOHN 3:14-18; 14:5-10; ROMANS 3:21-27\\n\\n\\n\\nI jumped when the solid oak door slammed behind me, its banging echoing through the empty chamber. The dust from the floor blew up into my nose, and I coughed, the nervous pit in my stomach growing even tighter.\\n\\n\\n\\nJust one shot\\u2026one shot\\u2026 I repeated to myself as I looked up to see the fabled target, glaring down at me from its perch on the wall.\\n\\n\\n\\nOne day every year, the king allowed new prisoners the chance to walk free if we could do one thing: shoot an arrow into the very center of this target with only one shot. Each prisoner got to try once. It was either make this shot and rejoin the kingdom with a clean slate, or miss and spend the rest of my life in the dungeons.\\n\\n\\n\\nOur kingdom was famous for its archers. Our nobles were some of the most accurate and skilled\\u2014I\\u2019m even excellent according to some. But better archers than me had missed this shot. And now it was my turn.\\n\\n\\n\\nTrembling, I reached back into my quiver and pulled out the one arrow I was allowed, anchoring it on my bowstring. Breathe\\u2026 breathe\\u2026 I lifted my bow, aiming the tip of my arrow for the target\\u2019s bright red center. My fingers clenched, threatening never to loose the arrow.\\n\\n\\n\\nAnd then I saw him.\\n\\n\\n\\nThe prince. Like a ghost, he had appeared in the doorway out of the dungeons. Of all the king\\u2019s archers, he was the best. He never missed. I looked at the target, then back at him. Suddenly, I knew. He was the only one who could make this shot.\\n\\n\\n\\nHis kind eyes met my terror-filled gaze, and without another thought, I barely whispered, \\u201cI\\u2019m sorry\\u2026 Help me\\u2026 please.\\u201d He approached me and said, \\u201cDon\\u2019t be afraid. My Father sent me.\\u201d He took the bow from my hands, and I felt the weight of the task lift from my shoulders.\\n\\n\\n\\nHe anchored, aimed, and\\u2026\\n\\n\\n\\nThe arrow hit\\u2014dead center.\\n\\n\\n\\nI\\u2019m free. \\u2022 Raven Merz\\n\\n\\n\\nFor everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God\\u2019s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:23-24 (NLT)\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Today\\u2019s story is an allegory. Did you know the Greek word "hamartia" is often translated as \\u201csin\\u201d in the Bible, but it\\u2019s also an ancient archery term that could be translated as \\u201cmissing the mark\\u201d? How could it be helpful to think about sin this way?\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 We\\u2019ve all missed the mark of loving God and each other (Matthew 22:37-40), and that means we\\u2019ve all sinned. The consequence of sin is death. There\\u2019s no way we could undo our sin or escape death\\u2026but God wants to save us. Because God loves us and wants to be with us, Jesus came and lived among us as a human. Jesus is God the Son, and He is the only human who never sinned, never missed the mark, and so He was able to save us by living a righteous life of obedience to God the Father, dying on the cross for our sins, and rising from the grave to defeat death. He hit the mark on our behalf. So now, everyone who puts their trust in Jesus can stand before God as though they never sinned. If you\\u2019ve put your trust in Jesus, you can rest in God\\u2019s unbreakable forgiveness and never-ending love for you. And you can look forward to the day when Jesus will return and raise you from the dead to live with Him forever in a world free from sin and death! (If you want to know more, go to our "Know Jesus" page.)\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 According to Hebrews 4:14-16, we can boldly approach God\\u2019s throne because of Jesus. Even though we will all continue to struggle with sin until Jesus returns,'