(Colossians 3:1-2) tells us: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” In these two verses Christians are told to set both their hearts and minds on things above. In other words, we should both intellectually and emotionally have a mind set that is heaven bound.
Now this doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy earthly pleasures but we need to be careful that these things don’t dominate our thoughts and feelings so much that we forget that our true citizenship is in heaven and that we need to strive to accrue eternal blessings through our prayers and activities. I love what Charles Spurgeon said when comparing the earthly with the heavenly: “Hold everything earthly with a loose hand, but grasp eternal things with a death-like grip.”1
The Scriptures also tell us: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21). Notice that these verses tell us that we have a choice to make about what type of treasures we will pursue – earthly or heavenly. In addition, the Bible tells us here to seek heavenly treasures because they are eternal, whereas earthly treasures are very temporary and fleeting.
As Christians we need to ask God to help us realize that earthly treasures and possessions, if they consume too much of our pursuit, will bog down our hearts, and cause us to miss out on the true eternal blessings that following hard after Christ can give us.
Satan wants us believe that when we seek after heavenly blessings we often have to sacrifice earthly pleasures and possessions. While this may be true it is only part of the story. For you see when we do sacrifice our time and possessions to advance the kingdom of God we accrue great joy now knowing that we are doing God’s will; not to mention eternal rewards.
When we sacrifice our time, talent, and treasury for the advancement of God’s kingdom, we receive a special joy that can’t be obtained in any other way. For you see helping others, sharing the gospel, and spending time in worshipping and praising Jesus is the best way I know of to bring lasting joy and eternal blessings. Earthly treasures are nice but they can’t compare with what awaits us when we are called to our eternal home above. My friends, since, as Christians, heaven is our eternal home, it only stands to reason that we should be preparing now for what awaits us in glory!
1 Hold everything earthly with a loose hand, but grasp eternal things with a death-like grip (libquotes.com)