Heavenly Mindedness

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

Have you heard this old axiom, He’s so heavenly minded that he is of no earthly good”? I don’t think I’ve ever had that problem. I struggle more with, I’m so earthly minded that I am little good at all!

But let’s take a step back and consider heavenly mindedness. What do we mean by that and what did Paul mean when he told us to be heavenly minded? It’s found in Colossians 3, you know. He said, Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things [Colossians 3:2]. By the way, the verb here is a command - STOP focussing your attention on earthly things and START focussing your mind on heavenly things! It carries with it the idea of an ongoing activity.

I suppose there are some who are so wrapped up in spiritual activity that they miss opportunities to be of practical help to those around them, but I can’t name any. All the truly spiritual people I know are actively engaged in “earthly good.” It’s the pretending spiritual people that aren’t of earthly good!

Every Christ follower has a great example of heavenly mindedness and earthly goodness. His name is Jesus. He demonstrated both of them to us by spending hours with His heavenly Father in prayer, then more hours meeting the needs of those who came to Him.

We can do the same if we follow His teaching. We can have a heavenly mind, and be of earthly good if we “love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourself.”

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? Matthew 16:26