How Do We Avoid “Looking beyond the Mark”?

The prophet Jacob taught that the Jews’ spiritual blindness came from “looking beyond the mark” (Jacob 4:14). How do we avoid looking beyond the mark?

What Is the Mark?

“[Some] are blinded because they are ‘looking beyond the mark’ (Jacob 4:14) when the mark is Christ.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Jesus of Nazareth, Savior and King,” Ensign, May 1976, 26.

What Does It Mean to Look beyond the Mark?

In archery, if you want to hit the target, you have to aim for it. Looking beyond the target will cause you to miss. That may be one reason the word sin in the New Testament comes from the Greek word hamartia, which means “missing the mark.” What were the sins of the Jews noted in Jacob 4:14?

How Do We Hit the Mark?

“If our primary focus, thoughts, and efforts are centered on increasing our love for Almighty God and extending our hearts to others, we can know that we have found the right target and are aiming at the bull’s-eye—becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Aiming at the Center,” Ensign, Jan. 2017, 5.