“Some people are so heavenly-minded that they are of no earthly good.”1
Ever heard this saying?
But the Bible says that we are to be heavenly-minded!
Repeatedly Scripture tells us to focus on things above.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Col 3:1-4 NLT).
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross….Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Heb 12:2-3)
So….
What does it mean to be heavenly-minded?
I don’t know about you, but I need to focus on heaven and Jesus! Otherwise, I cannot be of any earthly good. I get very disheartened with this life!
These last few years have been very difficult for many of us. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably found yourself down in the dumps way more than you want to be. But I don’t want to stay in that state of mind and the Lord has taught me that I don’t have to!
I’ve had many past victories over my crazy powerful feelings, but this time around it seemed like no matter what I did I couldn’t get out of my pit for long.
Until I dug deeper into His Word about heaven and persevering. It has so refreshed my soul!
I’ve written many times before on the importance of keeping an eternal perspective, but I needed a major reminder. Here are a few things that my kind and heavenly Father reminded me of—along with some fresh insights.
- Longing for a better day is normal and not wrong.
- The sad state of our world grieves the heart of God so it should grieve us. If it didn’t, we would not be in harmony with Him.
- Instead of letting our heartaches dishearten us, let them motivate us to do something about it—even if it’s just to pray. Staying glum doesn’t make the Gospel attractive.
- The rewards far outweigh our griefs.
- The Old Testament saints were applauded for their faith even though they had never received the fulfillment of God’s promise (Heb 11:39-40)
- God is the One who gives us the ability and the faith to persevere
How can we be of any earthly good unless we are focused on God and our future in Heaven?
By earthly good I mean eternally good—producing good and lasting fruit as Jesus said in John 15. It means making an eternal impact for God’s Kingdom. It means producing greater glory for God with our lives.
How do we produce this lasting fruit? By abiding in Christ the Vine—every moment of every day (Jn 15). By remembering that at the moment of our salvation we’ve been grafted unto Christ the Vine and we are to live in and through Him.
My friend, none of us know when our last day—our last moment will be. Therefore, let us be heavenly-minded so that we will be of earthly good!
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward…. (Col 3:23-24)
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Keeping Eternity in Mind—This Moment in Time
Enjoying Foretastes of Heaven—NOW!
A Christmas Longing: Why Our Souls Are Stirred at Christmas
What is Spiritual Fruit—that Will Last?
The Master’s Garden: An Allegory of Abiding in the Vine
1. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Except where indicated all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV. ® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
(NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.