Heavenly Minded, No Earthly Good? Where Did We Get This From?
This slogan or expression came to me the other day and made me really think. How can we be so heavenly minded and be no earthly good? People often suggest that you can be so caught up in God that you cannot function here on earth. Or that you are not approachable because all you talk about is God and nothing else. Many of us act religious, act is the keyword, but we are not kingdom minded. This is another cliché that Christians has fallen for. One thing that we should learn as Christians is to know how to operate in the marketplace and apply kingdom principles to our everyday lives. The goal is to be heavenly minded so that you can operate here on earth.
So if you are not applying Kingdom Principles in everything you do, are you conforming to the world’s principles when being placed in a criticizing or a decision-making situation? Could this be a form of peer pressure? In Galatians 1:10 warns us not to seek the approval of men and that if we do, we cannot be a servant of Christ. Are we often being pressured to follow the world’s system rather than the Kingdom’s system? Or do we even know what the Kingdom system entails?
There are so many question to raise on why we as Christians have adopted the expression of being too heavenly mind and not able to be any earthly good. Colossians 3:1-2 says that, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” This is instructing us that we cannot live the way we want to live, but to stay close to Christ by walking out the concepts, precepts, and ideologies of the kingdom.
Matthew 6:33 says that, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Seeking God is first and mandatory. Once we are focused on pleasing God, God will fulfill the desires of our heart. We can get so caught up with the glitz of the world and in result compromise or abandon the Kingdom morals and values. But God is calling us to set our hearts to heaven rather than to the world. We must seek favor with God and stay focus on the heavenly benefits and blessings that God has for us once out obedience to Him as been fulfilled. Even in our disobedience, God still blessed us. But the goal is for us to walk in obedience of God (Deut. 5:33).
The average believer commits a total of 3 hours a week “thinking” on Kingdom principles by attending a church service that we barely pay attention in. Most of our time is exposed to the world’s values and morals in which do not mind. So when do we even have time to place our mind on heavenly things if we do not take studying Kingdom Principles seriously? I believe this cliché is an excuse for us to live the life we want to rather than submitting our lives totally to God.
If we are going to be effective here on earth, we must increase of heavenly mindedness. In everything we do, we must consult God. I remember someone tried to encourage me to travel more, buy land, move out of town, etc. I told her that I must pray to God to make sure this is what he wants for me. She asked if I needed to consult God on every decision I have to make? I told her yes. Even though it may sound like a good thing, it may not be God’s plan for my life at this moment.
Stay heavenly minded, or kingdom minded. Understand and know the principles, ideologies, and concepts of the kingdom so that when decision-making moments come, you know what to do. Do not allow external influences of the world affect your choices. Carrying out the kingdom is not religious, it is right and mandatory for us to do if you are a child of God. God is looking for us to carry out his will on earth and you must have the mind of God. Cliché disabled! Walk in God!
