Heavenly Minded to be Earthly Good

There is an old saying, “They are too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.” This is a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., an American physician, poet and father of the the supreme court justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. This statement basically means that Christians should not be so singularly focused on the afterlife that they neglect the needs of their neighbors and the nations. This is often couched in the stereotype is that Christians, are good people and follow God’s rules, He blesses them and when they go to heaven to be angels or disembodied spirits. Often I think so many people are turned off from the idea of heaven because it sounds so boring. Eternity is often about choices, do you want to suffer and be burned for eternity or do you want to go to heaven?

Often the images and ideas of heaven that we conjure up in our minds do not even come from the Bible, they have their basis in Philosophy of Plato. Plato believed that the body was a hinderance because it opposed and imprisoned the soul. This has influenced christianity to see our flesh as sinful and therefore it is no good, it is sinful and to be perfect we must become a spirit, Like God. However this is not Biblical. The truth that we see in our Scripture text today is that we can never be too heavenly minded, because being heavenly minded is the only way we can be earthly good. As Christians, it is our future hope of heaven that spurs us on to be earthly good, this is because you can’t maintain a proper perspective on the earth if you don’t see it in light of heaven.

Colossians 3:1–4 (ESV)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Live for The Kingdom Of God

The Apostle Paul reminds us that we should not look for hope or contentment in the things of the world or in our flesh. focusing on these things only lead us further from God. There are no eternal rewards in the temporal things of this world. As Christians we are new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” As we die to our selves and to our will we are raised to new life through the Holy Spirit. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that allows us to continue the work of Christ, tending to the sick, caring for the widows and orphans, visiting the prisoners, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. This was the work that Christ began 2000 years ago and He has commissioned us with continuing His mission till he comes back to judge, to renew, and to rule and reign on Earth. Paul is retiring what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 ,“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” When we seek the kingdom of God when we strive to glorify Him with our lives, we are blessed. We are blessed, not because we earn it or deserve it, but because God has provided everything that we are ever going to need to be successful in serving Him.

The hope that we receive in this verses is that we are to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Christ is seated, meaning he has a physical body as a man, yet he has all the authority and power of God. He is seated because there is nothing left to accomplish. God’s future plan to be reunited with his creation and live with us forever. The completed work of Christ on the cross guarantees entrance into heaven. This means that we are free. Free to live for God, free to make mistakes and still know that you are promised heaven. Salvation is not dependent on self-righteous we can be but how righteous we can be because Christ lives in us.

Renew You Mind

In Verse 2 Paul encourages us to “set our minds to the things above”. The things that are above are righteous and eternal while the things of the earth toilsome and temporal. When we look to God, for His will to be accomplished here on earth through us, we are blessed. When we look at the world through the victory of the cross we can see that this life is very temporary. As we see the world through the lens of the gospel we see hope. Through Christ there is an end to hunger, injustice, poverty, racism, genocide, he is asking us to partner with Him to accomplish this. However the only way that this can happen is through complete submission of humanity to the Will of God. I once heard Billy Graham say, “that we are created ion the image of God in every way, except obedience.” It is our disobedience, our rebellion that makes it so the perfect will of God can not be accomplished on earth. We will never see that this side of heaven. However one day Jesus is coming back and he will judge the world and we who know him and serve Him with be with Him in Glory. We will partner with God, as His image bearers in perfect obedience to HIs will.

How do we set our minds to the things above?

Through understanding the will of God for your life. We seek God’s will through prayer, His word, council from trusted people.

When we pursue the things of God and His will for our life we no longer have to worry about making plans for ourselves. If we look at life as a dot we try too cram everything in there and expect that that is all to life that there is. I need a spouse, a house, a career, a family, retirement, to be happy. I have talked to so many people who pursued everything that this life has to offer only to find out there really is nothing there.

Instead of pursing our own selfish desires and the things of this world we are to look to eternity. This is a completely foreign concept to us, this is why we have to reframe the way we think.

When we set our intention on the things that are above we are no longer:

looking for a career that gives us the most money so we can live lavishly, but instead do what God has equipped us to do to provide for our family and glorify him with gifts he has given.

We are no longer looking for a fix the problems in our marriages so we can get more of our needs meet so we can be happy. Instead we are focused on making sure that we will be together in eternity. encouraging each other, building each other up, practicing the gospel in grace and forgiveness.

Hope in Glory

It is the hope of Heaven that helps us to endure the trails and grief in this world. It is the hope that all will be made right, renewed and restored. One day every knee will bow and Christ will rule the world. He is going to set up His Kingdom and We will rule and reign with Him as it was always meant to be. Living in this world fully flesh only redeemed and perfect. All of God’s creation will be renovated and be made perfect and there will be no sin, pain, suffering and death. Only perfect love and joy.

It is glory where those who are responsible for corruption, injustice, terror, pain and suffering will receive the full weight of their punishment. However it says in Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 (ESV)

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

If you have placed your hope and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, You are saved. You do not have to worry if you did enough, or that you should have lived differently, All of your sin and my sin and their sins of the world have been placed on Jesus Christ. HE lived the life we couldn’t and he died the death we all deserve. You have the hope of Glory because of Jesus Christ and that means that you will live eternally with your heavenly father who loves you more than you can imagine.

I want to encourage you to day to commit you life to Christ or recommit your life to Christ or if you already know him, Rest in the hope of your salvation. It is through faith in Christ that we can be so heavenly minded to be earthly Good.