The Race and the Rest

From: Faithful Words for Old and Young: Volume 10

• 1 min. read • grade level: 9

IF our reader will peruse Phil. 3:7-15,⁷But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. ⁸Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, ⁹And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: ¹⁰That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; ¹¹If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. ¹²Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. ¹³Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (Philippians 3:7‑15) and Psa. 84, he will find that in both these Scriptures a journey is spoken of, and an object to be attained at the end of the journey.

In Phil. 3 Christ is the object, and nothing is looked upon as of importance upon the journey—nothing is considered noteworthy. We can understand this, for if Christ be the object before the soul, nothing can for a moment be put in comparison with Him—nothing can be taken account of but reaching Him.

In Psa. 84, on the other hand, the rest of God is the object to be attained, and on the journey everything is taken account of, everything is dwelt upon, everything is noteworthy. This rest will be enhanced to us by all that we have passed through before, and thus the greater the exercise of soul now, the greater will be the enjoyment then. Besides, we are brought into sympathy with the mind of God: God is waiting for His rest; we are waiting too. God has not His Sabbath yet, for, as has been said, "Love cannot rest where there is misery; holiness cannot rest where there is sin"; He is waiting, and so are we.

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