Comments on: Too Heavenly Minded – No Earthly Good

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:31:35 +0000

Vic,
I’ve been a Christian for about 25 years. I’ve been in church, served in church, served others in my community, tried to be a “good Christian” during those 25 years and at times failed miserably. In the last three years, God has radically made Himself known to me in some very real and personal ways and I have radically sought to follow Him and be obedient to His revelation in my life. This desire for obedience is at a cost. I’ve walked away from a very long career and high paying job to be able to serve in ministry, voluntarily, and to spend time leaning into God through prayer and the study of His Word. I am desperately striving to be obedient to God and run the race He has set before me personally. I have such a passion and love for my Lord, and I’m so humbled and amazed that He has even more passion and love for me. In my ministry, I pray and seek God’s face and heart to not come across judgemental or arrogant in my walk. I only want others to experience the same kind of love for Him I have found. His love keeps me grounded, gives me joy, gives me direction in the storms, gives me peace in turmoil and so much more. Honestly, I like myself and who I am much better over these last three years of radical faith in Him than the person I was prior to that. And I believe my Savior is much more pleased with who I’m becoming as well. But today, I came face to face with the knowledge that other believers in my church view my enthusiasm for Christ as somewhat too heavenly minded or as a kind of arrogance. It broke my heart. As I mentioned earlier, I have sought God’s face in this matter in my prayer life in the past because I want to be effective for His kingdom purposes and I don’t want anyone setting me up as an idol or misread my very real passion for Christ. ALL GLORY goes to Jesus Christ, not to me and I take none of His glory nor do I want it. I’ve had to lean hard into the arms of my Savior on this one because the enemy of my soul wants to discourage me. He knows he can’t have me for himself because I am Christ’s child. But he wants to make me ineffective for God so others will either not come to know Christ or at the very least also be ineffective as well. Jesus has reminded me that we are called to be a peculiar people, set apart from this world. That means we must be heavenly minded. I love where I am in my faith journey and the most important thing to me is finishing it well and hearing from my Father, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” I can’t go back to the years prior to these last three amazing years in my faith journey and have a do over, but I do intend to press on and continue to grow closer and closer to my Lord. I do intend to seek the mind of Christ in all things. I do intend to demonstrate and talk about my great love for Him and the amazing love He has for us. If this makes me too heavenly minded, so be it. I’ve heard that “Too much of a good thing can be bad for you.” Too much of God, well there is no such thing. Blessings to all of you “peculiar people” out there. Keep on being heavenly minded.

By: Anthony Baker

Anthony Baker — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:50:55 +0000

Brother,
I want to thank you for this post. You hit the nail on the head. Sadly, even though you speak of the church in the U.K., I think of the church here in the states. My heart breaks. What opportunities are we wasting as we turn our hearts away from our heavenly home, only to focus on what is temporal. I came across you blog as I was doing some reading for my morning sermon. It is on this very myth: too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.”
Yesterday we had some major storms come through. The wind and hail did a lot of damage, even blowing down the flag pole in front of our church. I had to take a picture. You can see it, and the related Scripture on one of my blogs. Here is the link, if you don’t mind.
http://i4daily.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/hope-its-not-an-omen/

By: Tina Williams

Tina Williams — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:53:43 +0000

Thank you so much for this article. It’s really hard to find Christians who believe this way and I don’t think it was by accident that I found this article by googling the statement “too heavenly minded.” I shared this with some other Christians and I pray it brings conviction to those who are lukewarm.

By: Ken

Ken — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 08:21:58 +0000

I would suggest that the words “so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good” are quite relevant particularly in many Christian circles, some people have a “holier than thou” attitude. They forget that faith without works is dead, some, I would even suggest are just too busy and cosy ‘being heavenly minded’ and they have become so comfortable being ‘Pure & Holy’ they have forgotten Christ’s warning in Matthew 25:31-46 and to their great surprise they’re going to find themselves hearded amongst the goats!!

By: Henok

Henok — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 22:28:18 +0000

Brother Al, the cook at my Bible school was told by his father, “Al, your so heavenly minded that your no earthly good”.
To which he replied, “Amen, at least I’m not so earthly minded that I’m no heavenly good!”

By: Larry Harrison

Larry Harrison — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:32:54 +0000

I agree with the expression, when used the right way.

What I take from it is this–I am a Christian and I do lean on God, but sometimes there is the “practical” side too. I’ve come to certain Christians regarding certain struggles and received practical hands-on advice as well as preaching God’s larger perspective on the issues. Others do absolutely nothing but preach the concept & scripture–often-times concepts which I’m already familiar with & even in agreement with. I leave feeling as if the whole thing was a waste of time.

In other words–if it’s summertime and you’re hot, what do most do, Chrisitians included? They turn the air conditioner on. They don’t quote scripture about how the world is full of pain because of “the fall”–even though that is true & does need to be said regularly. No they turn the A/C on and praise God for the provision that we have it to turn to.

A really good example of this concept involves, to me, Child Protective Services’ (CPS) overreach and how it interferes with parents just being able to parent their children without looking over their shoulder. I have friends who are saved, live for God but their family is broken up because of how CPS doesn’t respect the God-given authority of parents being the one in charge of the direction of how they parent their children. It goes WAY beyond preventing abuse.

What really upsets me is when other Christians get so focused on saying “our struggle is not with principalities of this world but the invisible forces of darkness” (approximate quote). They get so focused on that then it’s as-if you can’t call out CPS and the government itself for their wrong policies and, in response, seeking to change the government & its policies itself.

Yes we do need to realize the bigger picture and pray for our leaders, but that doesn’t preclude one from seeking to criticize officials who are wrong and to promote one official vs the other if one seems more apt to govern in a more Godly manner.

Of real note is that when Jesus was here He did preach the principles and admonished sin, but He also healed the sick. He didn’t look at the person asking for healing and say “well, God is testing your faith and you need to learn patience through the trial.” No He did the practical thing–He healed them, and yes He did so in response to them having faith in Him, also He directed them “go & sin no more”–as He should’ve. It wasn’t just about fixing their problem but also adressing the larger concepts. But still, He healed them, that’s as practical as it gets.

When that phrase regards the failure of well-meaning Christians to address the specific need on that level because they’re always speaking about the bigger concept but missing the basic need itself, then the phrase is absolutely correct.

By: Catherine Mitchell

Catherine Mitchell — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:37:59 +0000

Jess, this is how I always understood this phrase as well. I have heard others say the same this way…The harvest is ready yet there are no workers to bring it in because they are all too focused on their reward.

I am focused on Jesus Christ, not my eternal reward.

How does God want me to use the gifts and talents for His Kingdom rather than burying them? This is the earthly focus…not focusing on earthly things to the exclusion of God, may it never be so with us.

I would much rather sit and study the word of God all day. I could easily do this and exclude interaction with others. I would enjoy this more than you can know. Yet, I am called to be in the world, just not of it. “Here am I, send me” in the world for earthly good. “Good” is impossible without God.

This is how I have understood this phrase over the years.

By: Vic Gill

Vic Gill — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:50:02 +0000

Thanks Jess,

I would say that Christianity had more of an impact on this world when it had ‘heaven’ and ‘eternity’ in view. Just picture the early church which turned the world upside and inside out during the great persecutions. One common thread which ran among them was a similar stance which Stephen the Martyr had, who looked and gazed up to the heavens and beheld the glory of God.

I understand what you mean about getting a balance and all, but perhaps the half the problem is because the church is always trying to find a balance. Maybe we should stop being balanced and wobble and lean on God, haha

Christianity is most powerful when it is most focused on Christ. We are called to be a peculiar people in this world and only a glimpse of Christ can do that.

Get a big picture of Jesus! Everything changes thereafter.

By: Jess

Jess — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:09:59 +0000

i just have one question…
surely our spirituality should be causing us to be more earthly good? or what are you meaning by “earthly good”? are you meaning earthly good in a “worldy sinful sense” or in a “loving our neighbour” sense? because to love our neighbour is the second comandment. (and that is not all about heaven, its about this eartth).
I understand what you’re getting at, i do, and it has caused me to think more deeply on this matter. i just dont think we need anymore “pie in the sky when you die” Christianity… i think that the more the more spriritually minded we become, and the more we fix our eyes on Jesus, the more earthly good should we should become, in that we actively seek God’s Kingdom and will here on earth. precisely what great heros of the faith seeked to do (eg. Goerge Muller etc)

thank you for your blog

By: Sunny

Sunny — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:24:29 +0000

Dear Brother Vic,

I believe it is impossible to be of any earthly good until we become heavenly minded.

The words of the apostle Paul come to mind:

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 2 Tim 2:4

Surely the apostle Paul would fit in that list above as being too heavenly minded and no earthly good, but he was arguably the most effective man used of God in the whole of history.

I think Paul tops it off with a scripture that I hope I can truly say and mean from the bottom of my heart:

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Phil 1: 21

Meaning that for him to live would be to do the work of God, but ultimately his eyes are firmly planted on his home with Him.

To the wind with “too heavenly minded and no earthly good”. I like that.

In His sweet name

Sunny