“Don’t be so heavenly minded you’re no earthly good!”
Have you ever heard this advice? It could have been on a Sunday, when your pastor was trying to encourage people to act on their faith. Daydreaming about heaven feels good, but does nothing to ease the problems all around us. So this recommendation makes sense. And the Bible supports it.
James the brother of Jesus warns about this danger when he asks the following questions:
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:14-17
And the apostle John shares this concern:
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:17-18
So we have our hunch confirmed by good authorities. Don’t use spirituality as an excuse for laziness!
Some pastors reach the same conclusion–faith in action–by taking the opposite path. They stress that attending to the Lord and focusing on Him will result in good works.
And this, too, has biblical warrant.
After discussing the disciplines of alms-giving, prayer, and fasting, Jesus tells His disciples how to get their own needs met.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33
Paul echoes the Lord. Here’s how he closes his discourse on the spiritual nature of the resurrection:
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58
How do we steer clear of spiritual lethargy? How does our dedication to the invisible God produce tangible effects?
Well, we could force ourselves to obey God. When we see a problem, we pitch in without hesitation. That’s fine as far as it goes, but there are a lot of troubles in the world! To address them with the resources of the Kingdom, we need more than outward obedience.
French novelist Antoine de Saint-Exupery writes, “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
When the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and softens our hearts, good deeds will follow. What happens beneath the surface of our lives will prepare us to deal with what’s in front of us.
Elsewhere, Antoine adds, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
In short, we need spiritual vision; we must be heavenly minded. To appropriate these, we have to focus on our ascended Savior Jesus. As Paul says,
“Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” – Colossians 3:1-4
Only this attitude will help us persevere in the face of inevitable backlash.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” – Hebrews 12:1-3
Heavenly minded and earthly good. In Christ, we have both!
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