Heavenly Minded, Earthly Unsuited?

Lord, I’ve heard the phrase either with people saying it more recently or me now paying more attention to it that people can be so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. I’d like to talk to You about that briefly and why I find it nonsensical. Firstly, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. who this phrase is attributed to has been described as a part of faculty of Phillips Academy as professors who were known for being "bigoted, narrow-minded, uncivilized" perhaps isn’t the first source we should be seeking out information from. Secondly, Johnny Cash wrote “No Earthly Good” and I suspect we should take that as gospel? Forgive me, that may have been too crass. Why not take a look at what it means to be heavenly minded and see if that ruins what we can do here by distracting us? John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace” was certainly heavenly minded after his conversion from atheism. He wrote that song from the perspective of the slaves he worked tirelessly to free in England, he was a great abolitionist. At the urging of John Newton, William Wilberforce remained in parliament to continue this even though it would turn him away for his consideration to get into ministry. With both men, they struggled against the flesh until they came to grace through You Son. After placing their faith in Jesus they were radically transformed and began pursuing the things outside of themselves focusing on Your will instead of the will of the world. Had it not been for two heavenly minded individuals so many more lives could have been ruined by that awful practice. 

What does Paul say in Colossians? “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Where are we supposed to put our focus? 2 Cor 4:18 says, “So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” In 1 Corinthians Paul reminds us to do all things whether we eat or drink or whatever we do to do it for Your glory. If it causes offense to a brother, don’t do it. If it causes someone to stumble, opt out. He says in 10:23, “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” Discernment then should be our guide by Your standard and the only way to pull from that standard is to set our sights on things above. What’s the alternative to the phrase? To earthly minded to be heavenly good? The mission field would be in disastrous straights if that were the motto. We would reach out with the conscience of our own understanding instead of holding true to the perspective and intrinsic truths You established in us through You Son and Holy Spirit. In 1 John, it's written, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” The word goes on to say, “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever”. Paul pens in Corinthians, “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Paul understood that we have so much work to do here but that’s not where we should set our affections. Pastor Jeff Merrick in Missouri said, “Being heavenly minded makes us more earthly good because it reminds us daily of the coming day when we will stand before the Lord who died for us. When this is true in our lives, heaven and eternity will become the motivation behind how we live here and now.” 

Isn’t it interesting that nowhere in scripture are we warned against our mind focusing on You and on the things of eternity, but we are constantly warned about our focus being on things right in front of us? This phrase has been said in college debates, in the classrooms, and in the pulpit. Biblically, at best, it’s unsound theology and a stumbling block to others. If we as believers work to Your glory, everything else falls into place. Colossians 3, Paul says, “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Whatever we do. If it can’t glorify You or edify us in Your ways, why should we focus on them? Why should they pull our attention away from You? 

Before I continue, and before anybody reads this and makes a grave error to think you can do anything as long as you claim it’s God’s glory, a warning. Like any parent, God corrects His children either here or the ever after. Obedience to His law is the natural outflow of our heart once given to Christ. One of the most damning and outright blasphemous examples I can think of in recent memory comes from the pastor at Elevation Church, Steven Furtrick said in one of his sermons, “I’m gonna blow your mind. A porn addict can pray while he’s looking at porn.” Do I pray for deliverance during the temptation of sin, absolutely. But this brings about a dangerous narrative. That’s like saying an abortionist can pray during an abortion, a child molester can pray in the middle of a heinous act, and a murderer can pray while taking a life. Deliverance, sure, but engaging in acts of sin while praying is equal to the adage of asking forgiveness instead of permission. You were going to do it, you just want to have it both ways, to live the way you want and be forgiven for it without giving your sin up. Glorify the name of The Lord by turning away from your sinful nature repenting of the plague that infests your very being and turn towards the Holy God who offers His escape and direction. 

I’ll move on, Lord. In that example I gave we can see how dangerous it is to lose our heavenly focus over the things of the world. Whether it be a “gotcha” phrase like “If you want to change the direction of your life, change the declaration of your lips.” or “God wants you to be a winner, not a whiner.”, or if it’s a complete mindset that hinders us from the truth, something that we tune or block out because we want to keep that which is comfortable and soothing in our hearing, the dangerous precedent we can set for ourselves will lead us astray into bondage to sin. May I be heavenly minded so that I CAN do earthly good. I pray for Your pursuit of my mind and heart that I will hold fast to Your truths and Yours alone, for there are no others. I pray that my mindset doesn't sway from what You have deemed righteous and what you have deemed sinful and that I look towards You with my focus on things above, Amen.