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Philippians 3:14, "I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
This morning, there are many things that man attains unto. He reaches and
strives for more money, power, wealth, and notoriety. While many of these
pursuits can have noble intentions (such as trying to make more money to make a
family more comfortable), most often they are surrounded at their core with
pride, greed, and deception. Man tries harder, it seems, with each passing day
to outdo the sins of previous days and past generations. (II Timothy 3:13) One
of the things that has always amazed me about these pursuits is that the rules
of the game often change. What is popular today to win notoriety is not popular
the next. What makes money today will possibly be a loser tomorrow. Modern
political waves make for uneasy and changing seas. Therefore, it one today is to
succeed in such ventures, they need to have the instability themselves to be as
double minded as those around them in such pursuits. (James 1:8)
As Paul is reaching his climax of encouragement to the Philippians (found I
believe in 4:13), he brings home some very important points. He points out all
the many and various things that bring fame and popularity in nature. His own
list is located earlier in this chapter. However, the list of things that brings
about spiritual edification and growth is rather succinct. Paul is able to sum
it up in basic terms that are simple, but not easy. His sole pursuit was to know
Christ and the power of His resurrection. (Verse 10) The previous verse (Verse
13) shows one thing that Paul desired to do above all else: forget those things
behind and reach forward to those things before. However, to focus on the one
thing of knowing Him and the power of His resurrection and to do the one thing
of forgetting and reaching forward, there is a place of affection that need
never be altered.
Paul describes the place where the focus and the doing intersect. This
intersection of our walk and attention is on the mark of the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. Looking up the word "mark" we see connotations
of a watchman or observer of a distant thing. Today, we have a word that
describes something similar when we describe a "marksman." Most often, this
descriptor is for someone that is proficient in the use of firearms. They are
able to hit targets from difficult locations, positions, etc. Having some
knowledge of this field, I can say that perhaps the hardest of all shots to make
is on a moving target. No matter how difficult the position or location may be,
shooting as something that is not stationary is the hardest of all shots to
make.
Looking at our mark to ascribe to win and hit daily, it never moves with the
times. What our Lord has declared as good, just, and holy today is still good,
just, and holy tomorrow. His counsel does not change, as He does not change.
(Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 6:17) Therefore, what He has said do is not the most
difficult of all shots to make. When studying pagan mythology, their gods and
goddesses changed all the time. Sometimes, their gods' moods varied depending on
"what side of the bed they got up from in the morning." With a mark that
constantly shifts like that, we would be no better off in our pursuit of
holiness than the folks in the world seeking after fame and fortune. However,
even though He does not move, sometimes the target (mark) does appear to shift
and change.
What is even more difficult than shooting at a moving target is shooting at what
appears to be a moving target because the marksman is moving. If the marksman is
not stationary, then the shot is exponentially more difficult. Our hustles and
bustles of life make for less and less stationary moments. Sometimes we neglect
to pause and reflect in the green pastures of the the Lord. Many times, our
prayers are on the go with much care and toil of life. Yet, the mark has still
not moved or shifted, even if our eyes perceive some change of position from
what we once thought.
The more I study the Bible, the more amazed I am at the positions I have to
change. Principally, I feel confident in subjects like election, predestination,
eternal security, particular redemption, etc as being true principles. Yet, my
applications of Biblical truth seem to change frequently. What I once thought
was the application of a passage may not be the real application of that
passage. Granted, the hope of any application is that it first be sound in
principle, but we need to seek the right applications to divide out the word of
truth. (II Timothy 2:15) In all the cases in which I have changed my mind about
a verse or passage's meaning, the real intent and truth of those Scriptures
never wavered or varied one iota. The mark is still just where it has always
been, but the perception of a moving target was really just the movement of the
watchman (me).
This mark that we are striving for is the holiness and perfection that our
Father and Elder Brother are. (Matthew 5:48, I Peter 1:16) Since He is holy and
perfect, so should we strive to be. Life is light years too short to ever
contemplate fully hitting that goal. But, every day should be fully devoted to
doing it. What if we have miserably failed yesterday? Paul said to forget (not
dwell) on those things in the previous verse. Continue to reach forward seeking
to do better in the observance of that never-changing mark. Where is it clearly
found? The study of His word will bring us closer to hitting it than without it.
The fellowship of His saints in His church will help keep us closer to it than
without them, and the praying faithfully to Him in fellowship with Him will help
us feel that sacred nearness to it than without them.
Part of this conclusion to this mark is a prize associated with it. This prize
is not reaching up into heaven to gain its heights by our own accord and effort.
Rather, this prize literally can be rendered "to award the victor in the games."
As we fight and struggle with our old flesh on a daily basis, we have better
days than others. On the days that we do better than others, there is a prize
involved that is not found on worse days. Consider a day's worth of faithful
prayer, meditation, perhaps going up to His house, and good study in His word.
At the end of the day, we can more freely say, "I have walked with God today."
Indeed, He never leaves our side, but those better days bring a sense of His
presence like a child being in his parent's arms. The parent is there, but being
in their arms feels better than just being in the room with them.
Our prize in daily life is the feeling of His loving arms around us. He is
faithful to award us the prize of His fellowship when we honour and extol Him in
our behaviour. We cannot expect this fellowship when losing the battle to the
old flesh, even though He does, at times, bless us in spite of ourselves. Yet,
these times of expectation of His presence is neither greedy nor boastful, but
it is cemented in that great hope that what He has promised us, He is also
faithful to perform. This is indeed a high calling - the highest in this world -
that we could seek to attain unto. It supersedes any natural inclination of man.
It supersedes any natural fellowship of man. It looks beyond this vale of
temporal things and into that hidden portal of heavenly things. May our daily
sights be set upon the mark of Christ Jesus our Lord with the hope and
anticipation of the prize of His fellowship and loving favour.
How does a marksman improve His aim? How do we improve from day to day? One
thing a marksman must do is practice, practice, practice. More practice makes
for better aim and shots. During this repeated exercise, He learns better how to
shoot, regardless of natural elements such as wind, noise, etc. He learns better
how to understand and read his own body's movement. He learns better how to win
the prize by hitting the mark no matter what the world may throw at him, and
finally, he holds his breath waiting patiently for that precise moment to let
fly with his salvo. May we wait patiently for the Lord, and keep ever looking
into these things to better arm ourselves no matter what the outside
contrivances may throw at us. (Isaiah 40:31)
In Hope,
Bro Philip |