Being Heavenly Minded
Matthew 6: 19 – 21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6: 30
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Matthew 6: 33
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
A dear friend reminds me often that if God calls her home, I should be ready to pick up the mantle. Until I met her, heaven, eternity, and rapture were on the back of my mind. I knew and understood that heaven is my eternal home but I was caught up with the things of the world. I am so blessed to have crossed paths with this saint who is heavenly minded in all her dealings. She is joyfully ready to enter into eternity. Her faith, her readiness and her heavenly mind inspired me to shift my focus as well.
Jesus, in the sermon on the mount, spoke of storing up treasures in heaven. His listeners must’ve wondered how they could store treasures in heaven, when they haven’t even been there. Jesus spoke extensively about the Kingdom of God. John baptized people and asked them to ‘repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand’ (Matthew 3: 2). Jesus desired that His people who believe in Him would be with Him for all eternity. In other words, He urged the people to not be in pursuit of the worldly fame and fortune, which will be destroyed. Rather pursue holiness which will be accounted as righteousness.
Furthermore, He mentioned that we will be clothed. If a lily of the field can be a beautiful blossom one day and is withered the following day, then how much more our Savior who redeemed us with His precious blood is willing to give us robes of righteousness? Our Savior who has ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us will come back to receive us unto Himself. Where He is, there we will be also for all eternity. We are not only clothed in robes of righteousness but we also will receive new and glorified bodies.
Dear Heavenly Minded Saint, what then is our task? To live our lives for Him. With our minds, hearts and eyes fixed on heaven, we must carry out our earthly responsibilities with due diligence. Let us not focus on earning wealth. Instead, let us focus on earning souls for the Kingdom of heaven. Let us not seek worldly fame, which vanishes like a mist. Instead let us focus on how our lives can be salt and light in this dark world. We must continue the good fight of faith as Paul instructs Timothy, holding onto eternal life. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses (1 Timothy 6: 12). Our task on this earth, in these clay tabernacles is to be rich in good works, to be generous, kind, and merciful which then equates to storing up treasures in heaven. When our whole being is desirous of being heaven bound, then nothing in this world can tie us down.
Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed (1 Timothy 6: 18 – 19).
The heritage you inherit is not nearly as important as the legacy you leave. The legacy you leave is not nearly as important as the eternity you enter.
