Setting our Minds on the Mission of Heaven - Introduction!
You might be familiar with the phrase, “You’re too Heavenly minded to be any Earthly good!” Maybe you have told somebody that before or maybe, like me, somebody else has told you that. I can remember one person in particular that used to tell me that quite often. They tried to caution me that I would never be very useful in ministry here on Earth if my mind and thoughts were constantly filled with Heaven. I really turned that one over in my mind and deeply contemplated it. I found that I was really bothered by that accusation, and not because it was meant offensively towards me, but because I found the whole statement to be utterly incorrect. I came to realize that I did not agree with the premise of that insult! The more I pondered this the more I was, and am to this day, convinced that in order to be ANY Earthly good, you MUST be heavenly minded!! In fact, the more Heavenly minded you are, the more Earthly good you will be, and I am not the only one who knows this to be true. The Holy Spirit instructed the apostle Paul to write this in Colossians 3:1-3, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Paul teaches us that we are to set both our hearts and our minds on the things above, where Christ is - IN HEAVEN! We are to seek after, concentrate on, and have our lives dominated by the pattern of Heaven. Jesus even rebukes Peter once, calling him out on this very subject. In Matt. 16:23 we see Jesus tell Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Peter had become a hindrance to Jesus because he was so Earthly minded that he was no Heavenly good! Think about that! Imagine being a hindrance to the work of Christ because our minds are not fixated and focused on what is above. It is such a natural and easy trap to fall into, isn’t it? We are physically in this world, surrounded by Earthly expectations and duties, and it is easy to set our minds and hearts on these very things. We can get so bogged down with the realities we are faced with on Earth that we forget altogether that we are no longer from here. We are truly just passing through. This is not our home and it is not even our true reality!
Our calling, while we are here, is as ambassadors for the kingdom of Heaven. We are given the incredible job, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring Heaven to Earth! We are a part of the missional prayer of Christ declaring that the Kingdom of God Come, and His Will be done ON Earth as it is in Heaven. God gives us the way we are to do that when He tells us that we are to SET our hearts and our minds on the things above, where Christ is - in Heaven! He says it again in 2 Cor. 4:18 when He tells us that we are “not to look to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” Titus 2:13 tells us that we are to live, “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, fixing our eyes, Hebrews 12:2 says, on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith! I hope it is clear to us that we are called to be completely Heavenly Minded so that we may, by God’s Grace, be of some Earthly good!
Oh what indescribable joy there is in partnering with God in bringing His Kingdom to this Earth...in bringing Heaven to Earth! That is the only hope this world has! It is God alone who will bring people from this Earth to Heaven, but while we are here, we get to help bring Heaven to this Earth! That starts and ends with a heart and mind consumed with the things above! I want us to consider together just how we can do that. How do we live heavenly minded, and what is more, what does it mean to bring Heavenly Direction to our Earthly duties? How do we live so that every part of Heaven invades every part of Us? These are powerful questions and we are going to spend the next several weeks seeking out, and contemplating practical, purposeful, and God-given answers to these very questions! As we prepare, I want to encourage you to ask yourself, “What is my mind and heart consumed with?” At this point in your life, would you say that you are more Heavenly minded or more Earthly minded? What do you think it means to bring Heavenly Direction to your Earthly duties? Every Monday, for the next several weeks, we are going to dive into the Word of God and uncover these answers together! I want to challenge you to spend time meditating on and memorizing Col. 3:1-4. This will be the launching passage for our study together. I believe it is of utmost importance right now that we begin to learn how to SET our minds and hearts on the things above and I am excited to embark on this journey with you! To God be the Glory Forever and Ever! Amen!
