6 Heavenly Things to Focus Our Minds On
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In The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis, Eustace and Jill find themselves in a world underneath Narnia and, because of the influence of a witch, begin to wonder if Narnia was merely a dream. The witch’s lies worm their way into their minds, lulling them to forgetfulness. Was the sun truly real? They could not see it at present. And Aslan? Wasn’t He merely a cat?
Throughout the book, Lewis emphasized the need for Eustace and Jill to remember what Aslan had told them, to set their minds on the truth. Yet, repeatedly, the children discover that they have forgotten the words of the Great Lion.
Believers often do the same. Like Eustace and Jill, we forget and start living as if heaven, and our future eternity on the New Earth, is a mere dream. We know what Scripture says about our citizenship, but our priorities often reveal a worldly focus. Many Christians have started to believe the old saying about a heavenly-minded person being of no earthly good. As it is, do we not have to deal with the mundane issues of ordinary life?
Yet, those who leave a Christ-centered legacy through their lives are those who were most focused on eternity. As Lewis famously said, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” He argues that the lack of heavenly focus is what has contributed to the ineffectiveness of many modern Christians.
If we care about how we live in the world (which we should), then we need to be more intentional about setting our mind on things above (Colossians 3:2). Doing so will not turn us into dreamers, but into doers whose hope and heart are tethered to our identity as citizens of heaven.
The following six points provide a starting point for meditation as we quest to remember the true Narnia as Eustace and Jill eventually did with the help of Puddleglum, and to live as ambassadors of hope in a fallen world.
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1. Our Spiritual Position in Christ
In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he urged the believers to set their mind on heavenly things because that is where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. Christians have died to their old life and their new, eternal life is hidden in Jesus (Colossians 3:3). Such terminology may appear strange at first. How can our life be hidden in Christ, or our spiritual position united with Him?
In biblical terms, we are “in Christ,” which is why Paul so often mentioned this reality in his letters (see Romans 8:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10). We are already seated with Jesus in heaven in a spiritual sense (because we are “in Him”) while still being present here on earth (Ephesians 2:6). These two realities exist: We are currently physically separated from Jesus because He is in heaven, but we are also united to Him spiritually, and as such are acknowledged to be with Him, in Him, in the heavenly realm.
An image that can help us meditate on this reality is an anchor. The author of Hebrews wrote, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19-20). We are tethered to our Savior, and our connection to Him forever ties us to heaven.
Since this is a spiritual reality, we benefit from setting our mind upon the truth. Our position is secure – there is nothing that can break the anchor between us and our hope established in heaven.
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2. Our Great Hope in the Second Coming of Jesus
Something that I have increasingly noticed as I study the New Testament is that Christian hope is connected to the Second Coming of Christ. There are many different views of eschatology, including the timing of Jesus’ return, His Kingdom, and when (or if) the rapture will occur.
As someone who studied eschatology during undergraduate biblical studies, I know how easy it is for scholars and fellow believers to get entangled in the specifics of Christ’s coming. He will come before or at the end of a detailed timeline; His arrival comes after His rule over a spiritual kingdom; His coming is in two parts, and other such views. But what the systems often overlook is the hope meant to be found in Jesus’ coming – for it is our great hope.
After urging the Colossians to set their mind on things above, Paul reminds the believers that when Jesus appears, they will also be with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4). Similarly, our Lord clarified that at His coming, His angels will gather the elect from around the world (Matthew 24:30-31). Those who are dead will be resurrected, and those who are alive will be transformed (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
His second coming marks the end of living in a dying body in a decaying and fallen world. Jesus is our life, and the consummation of our promised eternal life will occur when He appears in the clouds and sets foot once again on the earth He created. For this reason, the coming of our Lord is our hope, and we should start thinking of it as such instead of making it into a mere topic of timeline placement or eschatological argument.
The heavenly truth of Jesus’ second coming has historically provided comfort and encouragement to the saints (1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11). Focusing on His near return gives us the strength to stand firm despite hardships and to continue to act in love even when doing so involves persecution and pain. We will be better ambassadors of Christ if we remember that He is coming soon.
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3. Eternity with the Lord
In John’s vision recorded in the book of Revelation, he provided details about the New Heaven and New Earth. The New Jerusalem will be there, a beautiful city reflecting the majesty and holiness of the Lord. Believers often talk about being in heaven with the Lord forever, and we will reside in heaven. Our eternal home, though, will be a restored earth where God will dwell with humankind, and there will be no more curse (Revelation 21:3-4).
Revelation is not only a prophetic vision; it was an epistle to the seven churches in Asia Minor (Revelation 1:4). Our Lord encouraged these Christians to remain steadfast in the faith, despite persecution, and used the awesome images and events in Revelation to convict and redirect them.
Is it a coincidence, then, that the Apostle John ended with the vision of our eternal home? No, for Christ blessed those who “washed their robes” and said they would enter that great city and eat from the Tree of Life (Revelation 22:14). The vision of eternity was intended to encourage believers to remain steadfast despite opposition and difficulty – their efforts to serve Jesus despite persecution were not in vain.
The hope of eternity impacted the everyday lives of believers in Asia Minor at the time of writing, and it can do so today. Setting our minds on the Eternal Kingdom is not wasteful daydreaming. It is one of the wisest things we can do, especially during times of hardship and when our faith is tested.
The Apostle Peter also emphasized the practicality of the doctrine of the end times in his epistle. When discussing our eternal home, the New Heavens and New Earth, he directly connected this future reality to our present lives. As he wrote, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:13-14). Meditating on our future with the Lord can spur us on to greater faithfulness today.
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4. Building Treasure in Heaven
Although we know the doctrinal truth that we will spend eternity with the Lord, a lot of us do not live as if this is true. We focus on the present with all our concerns and desires wrapped up in the here and now. Of course, our life on earth is important. However, many of us do not regularly consider our eternal home or focus on building true treasure. And according to our Lord, where we focus our energy and resources reveals the position of our hearts (Matthew 6:21).
To shift our focus, we need to regularly set our minds on preparing for our future home. If we made plans to travel somewhere, we would want to know about the place we will be visiting and to prepare before arriving. Likewise, one day believers will step through the door of eternity and find themselves in the presence of the living God. What we do with our lives today – whether living for eternity or ignoring our future home – will affect our experience of heaven.
Every believer will live in joyous union with the Lord, but some rewards will be lost if we chose to live unwisely, as poor stewards of what God has entrusted us. The wise Christian will think of heaven and prepare for their eternity by serving the Lord and, thus, storing up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20).
Some of us might assume that such a focus is too otherworldly or only reserved for super saints. Yet, Scripture tells us that living with an eternal focus is for every believer. In Paul’s warning to the wealthy, he encouraged them to use their earthly treasure to amass heavenly riches. By generously giving from their wealth with an eternal focus, they were grasping onto “the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19).
The abundant life we receive in Christ is tied up with joyous giving, sacrificial acts made in love, serving others, and using words and deeds to point people to Jesus – the very deeds that go before us and for which our Lord will reward us. This is not a “head in the clouds” approach to life; it is part of being a disciple of Christ.
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5. The Will of Our Lord
After the Apostle Paul instructed the Colossian Christians to focus on heavenly things, he moved into the practical aspects of where our thoughts lead us. We should not dwell on earthly things (or things within the worldly realm of sin) because such thoughts will influence us to act according to our earthly nature. This includes sinful actions such as sexual immorality, greed, lying, giving into anger and rage, and using filthy language (see Colossians 3:5-9).
Instead, setting our minds on heavenly things will direct us toward honoring God with our lives. We will want to live according to our new identity “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved” (Colossians 3:12). This means walking in accordance with God’s righteous will. Our Lord does not want us enslaved to sin, but freed to walk in holiness, acting in kindness and gentleness by the fruit of the Spirit, loving as He has called us to love, and forgiving as we have been forgiven (Colossians 3:12-14).
Fixing our minds on things above includes dwelling on the righteous commands of our Lord, for those who love Him will keep His commands (John 14:15). As we focus on eternity, we will increasingly discover that our thoughts are tuned to how we might better glorify the Lord in our actions, attitudes, and words.
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6. Our Inheritance in Heaven
The Israelites’ hope for the future was tied to the Promised Land. God had made a promise that Abraham and his descendants would possess the land and live in it (Genesis 15:18-21). Part of those promises are yet to be fulfilled, but there is something greater mentioned in Scripture than the Promised Land – our inheritance in heaven.
Peter told the believers that they had a living hope because Jesus had risen from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). Through the matchless value of His blood, every Christian has an inheritance that can never be taken away. As Peter said, “This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).
Commentators often like to compare and contrast the promise of the land of Israel and our future home in heaven, but what they sometimes miss is that central to the Christian’s inheritance is the Lord himself. During the Old Testament times, the encampment of the Israelites, and later the layout of Jerusalem in Israel, was centered around God – symbolized through the physical presence of the tabernacle and temple. Similarly, our inheritance of salvation, resurrection, and eternal life is centered on the person of God.
We see this fulfilment clearly in the New Heaven and New Earth, in which the Father, Son, and Spirit will dwell with humankind (Revelation 21:3). There will be no temple there, for the Lord will be with us and we will serve Him (Revelation 21:22). Our thoughts should, then, be focused on God because for all eternity we will live with Him and learn more about Him. After all, we were made to know and glorify Him.
Greater than any earthly inheritance we might have or receive is the inheritance stored up for us in heaven because of the work of Christ.
Source
Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity, HarperOne, 2001, p.134
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