Don't Be Too Heavenly Conscious & Earthly Useless?

 

You most likely have heard people say words like: "don't become too heavenly conscious and earthly useless".

Scripturally there's no such contemplation of a believer becoming too heavenly conscious or minded and earthly useless or stupid.

In reality, it's impossible to become too heavenly conscious in a world where we barely see heavenly(unseen) realities, and even when by faith we see them, we only see through a glass darkly/dimly. 

It only takes absolute faith in God's word to have one's heart and mind set on unseen, eternal realities in a physical world governed by sight.

We walk by faith and not by sight says the inspired apostle, but how scarcely & how so little this is the reality in present day christendom, largely governed by sight with it's devotion & worship system built around the physical & earthly ie. things made with hands.

We cannot have so much of the sights of heaven to be considered redundant/excess. Scripture nowhere warns or cautions against heavenly consciousness but against earthly mindedness.

Philippians 3:18-19 presents earthly mindedness as one of the marks of the enemies of the cross of Christ. "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping.." says the apostle. Many professing christianity, professing to belong to Christ, yet in reality, they are enemies of the cross of Christ, and one chief mark of these people is that they are resolved upon the earth, worldly & thus contrary to the cross of Christ by which we are crucified to the world(Galatians 6:14). They glory in every other thing but not in the cross of Christ.

It is in the apprehension of the cross of Christ as dead with with him, risen with him and our lives hid with him in God, that scripture admonishes us to be heavenly minded by setting our affection on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, where Christ who is our life is.

Scripture also goes on to show us that if we are obsessed with the consciousness of heaven & Christ our master who is in heaven, it will spur us to excel & go the extra mile in whatever service/work we do on earth rather than becoming earthly useless as some assert. 

We will serve & relate with men in the consciousness of the heavenly reward & of serving the Lord to please him & not men; we will not be stupid as to be enslaved to men as mere servants of men but as servants of Christ knowing that supremely & ultimately our master is Christ - Colossians 1:4-5; 3:1-4, 22-24; 4:1.

Setting our affections on things above where Christ is at the righthand of God can never result in a stupid or useless life upon the earth. It's absolutely impossible!

Those we deem to be heavenly minded and earthly useless, are actually not heavenly minded, but merely caught up in vain religious fantasies not furnished by sound knowledge of the scriptures of truth.

Professing christians who are 'stupid' or foolish like the Galatians, in blindly following men and being bewitched/bamboozled by them, are not heavenly minded/conscious but carnal christians, walking after men.  Galatians 3:1-3; 1:9-11.

The thought of one becoming so heavenly conscious and earthly useless, might be popular in sermons and Christian conversations, but it is unscriptural and contrary to what scripture teaches.

Scripture teaches that the more genuinely heavenly conscious/minded a believer is, the more effective they become on earth.

The men and women of old who walked by faith, as mentioned in Hebrews 11, were deeply heavenly-minded people, who confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and sought a heavenly country/homeland, yet they made tremendous impact on earth; "subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." - Hebrews 11:13-16, 33-34.

The Lord Jesus himself who is our perfect example of faith as the author & perfecter of faith was perfectly heavenly-minded yet maximally impactful & useful on earth. 

No one was more heaven-focused and no one was more earth-effective than him; He fed the hungry, healed the sick, taught the masses, confronted injustice etc.

In conclusion, where laziness, irresponsibility or neglect of duty is covered with the cloak of vain religion & devotion, such false spirituality must not be wrongly judged as heavenly consciousness.

When we are truly heavenly conscious, always having eternity in view, we will take time, people, and purpose more seriously. We will become more circumspect, more responsible, purposeful, compassionate & effective upon the earth.