What does it mean to be heavenly-minded? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “devout, godly, pious.”1 Pious is defined as “devoutly religious, hypocritical, dutiful, and virtuous.”2 An example of being pious is somebody who makes a hypocritical display of virtue or sincerity but is unlikely to fulfill it. I think my mother’s understanding of “heavenly-minded, no earthly-good” aligned with this definition. However, I believe God defines it differently.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (NASB). How can we know what God is thinking? In John 3, we are told that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again, and we can’t enter the kingdom of God unless we are born of water and Spirit (see John 3:3-6). In John 10, Jesus tells us that He is our Shepherd and the sheep (us as believers) know His voice and follow Him and won’t follow the voice of anyone else (see John 10:1-5).
When we are frequently anxious and worried, we are not heavenly-minded, and we have a wrong perception about God. We believe that He is not capable of helping us or doesn’t have the desire to help us. If our default mode is based in fear and anxiety, then we need to hear the truth that God is tenderhearted toward us, that He protects and watches over us, and that He loves us and we are precious to Him. The way out of worry (being earthly minded) is not just a matter of positive thinking but of having a personal relationship with Jesus. When the Holy Spirit reveals God’s presence, and we have an encounter with Him, He reveals that He loves us so much that He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, to pay for our sins. If we hear, receive, declare, and believe that Jesus is our Savior, our spirit man is infused with God’s Spirit, and we become new creatures in Christ. God becomes our Father, Jesus becomes our Savior, and the Holy Spirit becomes our Teacher.
The message that Jesus brings to us is called the gospel, which means the “good news” because we can be forgiven of our sins through Him. Our natural birth and our good deeds don’t qualify us for Heaven. We must be part of God’s family to receive the inheritance of eternal life and Heaven. The only man good enough to qualify is Jesus. Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (NIV). When we realize we are a sinner in need of a savior, and we ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, we become born again. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV). That includes the way we think.
When we are heavenly-minded, we think like God and agree with God. When we are born again as new creatures, the heart of our inner man¾our desires and passions¾have been changed. We find out how God thinks through an awareness and knowledge of Him that we did not have before. As new creations in Christ, we now have the Holy Spirit to teach us, lead us, guide us, and reveal to us how God thinks through His Word, the Bible. The Bible has a lot to say about how we should think. A few of my favorites are:
Philippians 4:8-9: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things … and the God of peace will be with you” (NIV).
Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (NKJV).
Proverbs 16:3: “Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed” (AMP).
Romans 8:6: “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (NKJV).
Romans 14:17 tell us, “For the kingdom of God is … righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (KJV), and it can be ours if we ask. If you want to be a partaker of God’s way of thinking and living and receive eternal life, you can do so by praying a simple prayer aloud: Heavenly Father, I want to feel Your love, know Your thoughts, and be joyful. I am sorry and ask forgiveness for my sins, my fear, my anger, and for the wrong thoughts I have about myself and others. I know that I can’t do it on my own. I need Your help. I ask Jesus to save me. I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me about You, Father God, and change my heart and my thoughts. I want to be heavenly-minded, and earthly-good, to make a difference in this world. Thank you for loving me, causing me to be born again, and filling me with the Holy Spirit so that I can know You and follow You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “heavenly-minded,” accessed March 8, 2023, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavenly-minded.Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “pious,” accessed March 8, 2023, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pious.
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