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A few years ago a man from Pennsylvania shot a record-breaking buck. After already harvesting a smaller buck in the archery season, he illegally reused and altered his buck tag and shot a huge fourteen-point trophy. It had an outside spread of 24 inches and had a Boone and Crocket green score of 172.5. Being proud of his great success he placed pictures of it on Facebook and was subsequently arrested. He faced significant penalties for his offense. Many people were quite angry that someone would do such a thing.

What about you? Have you ever violated a game law? Maybe you shot something out of season. Did you ever shoot more than your limit? Did you ever trespass on someone’s property to hunt? Have you violated the rule of fair chase?

The true character of a man is what he does when no one else is around. Hunting is a sport that gives us the opportunity to have true character … to do what is right. So why do people commit such unsportsmanlike acts? What causes “good” people to ignore the rules and their conscience?

The truth is that this is wrong at more than one level. Acts such as these not only violate the game laws, but more importantly they violate the law of God. He says that when we violate the rules it is sin (Romans 13:2). We get angry about the poacher who shoots the big buck, but we overlook the “small” things that we do.

Have you ever lied (giving misinformation about the amount of game you saw)? God says, “You shall not bear false witness” (Exodus 20:16).

Have you ever stolen something—no matter what the value (taking more than your limit)? God says, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15).

Have you ever lusted in your heart after something (the big buck your neighbor shot)? God says, “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:17).

Have you ever replaced God with something else (hunting, fishing, or the great outdoors, etc)? God says, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).

The Bible says that “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Because of this, we are born separated from God with a heart bent toward doing evil and there is nothing we can do to rectify our condition. That’s why men poach deer, misuse tags, and violate game laws. That’s why people commit all kinds of heinous acts.

Due to our heart condition, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All has pretty serious implications. Humans cannot be good enough nor can they earn acceptance from God. That’s why the Bible says, “There is none who does good” (Romans 3:12).

Furthermore, our sin brought death. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). If a person physically dies without having their sins taken away, then that person goes into eternity separated from God in a place that the Bible calls the Lake of Fire. So what’s a person to do? How can you be made right with God?

The GOOD NEWS is that God will forgive your sins and grant you the gift of eternal life when you place your faith (trust) in the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior. Jesus Christ came as God in the flesh—fully God and fully man (Philippians 2:5-11). Then He “died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and … He was buried, and … He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).

Therefore, “He who believes [trusts] in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). Jesus paid the penalty for our sins by dying in our place; a penalty that we could not pay. Simply agree with God that you a condemned sinner in need of a Savior. And then trust Christ and His redemptive work and receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of everlasting life. Why not do it today?

“For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

If by faith you have genuinely received the Lord Jesus as Savior, you now have true life. Grow in your relationship with God by reading and studying His word, the Bible. Seek Him daily through prayer and find a Bible believing church where you can “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

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