They're so heavenly minded that they're no earthly good.
Have you heard this line before? Let's talk about why it's oh so
wrong on this week's episode of Liberty at Home.
Hey now, welcome to this week's episode of Liberty at Home
brought to you by the Liberty Baptist Church of Easton and
powered by Easton Community Access Television.
I'm your host, Pastor Adam Rivero, here to bring you
another 5 minute episode of biblical truth and
encouragement. And today, as always, we're
broadcasting from the beautiful town of Easton, MA, where the
leaves are falling everywhere and even people with Boston
accents are saying it's fall y'all.
Today we'll be reading a portion of the Sermon on the Mount as we
consider that old saying that they're so heavily minded that
they're no earthly good. So join me in Matthew chapter 6
as I read beginning in verse #19 it says lay not up for
yourselves. Treasures upon earth, where moth
and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves breakthrough and steal.
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do
not breakthrough nor steal. For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also. Our language has been affected
by the Bible far more than many people realize.
There's a host of common phrases that have been used so often
that many people don't even realize they originated from the
Bible. Have you ever been at your wit's
end trying to finish something at the 11th hour?
Hey, it's just a reminder that you have feet of clay.
You don't have to see the writing on the wall to know that
many of these phrases, and many more like them, are all biblical
in origin. On the other hand, there's a
litany of phrases that seem to come from the Bible but can't be
found anywhere within the pages of this holy book.
While cleanliness is next to godliness, you won't find it in
the Bible, nor will you see the spurious line God helps those
who help themselves, or even the famous maxim God won't give you
more than you can bear. And that one's a personal pet
beeve of mine that will save for another episode in the future.
And then there's the phrase I know you've heard before.
They're so heavenly minded that they're no earthly good.
While this expression may have a spiritual ring to it, it's very
ideas faulty. The premise that someone could
be so dedicated to their faith that they are of no functional
youth on earth is a strange one. Plus, let's be honest, how many
people have you ever met that would even fall into this
category in the 1st place? So rather than dwell on that old
saying, I want to reverse the order of this phrase to give us
a different thought to consider. As a Christian, I believe it's
possible to be so earthly minded that we're no heavenly good.
See the difference? Now consider my reasoning for a
moment. The Bible tells us that we're
pilgrims here on this earth, travelers who are here for a
time so brief that James chapter 4, verse 14 compares it to a
vapor. Although our time in this life
is short, in light of eternity, it's easy to become infatuated
with the things of this life, well outright ignoring the
things of eternal importance. In today's text from the Sermon
on the Mount, Jesus explained the error of being earthly
minded and not giving any thought to the life to come.
Now, I don't know many Christians who are so heavily
minded that they can't figure out how to walk and chew gum at
the same time. Yet I believe many Christians
would have to admit how difficult it is to put the words
of Jesus into practice. Lay not out for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust up corrupt, and where
thieves breakthrough and steal. But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not breakthrough nor steal.
So how do we develop the mindset where laying up treasures in
heaven is a priority? How do we break out of the mold
of living for the day-to-day with no consideration for things
that are heavenly good? I believe the best way to do
this is to give our greatest effort and attention to the
things that have everlasting importance, like focusing less
on accruing wealth and focusing more on giving it.
Soak up less of the 24 hour news cycle and feed yourself with the
eternal Word of God instead. Talk to fewer people about the
latest game on TV and spend more time sharing the good news of
the gospel. Paul illustrates this so vividly
in First Timothy 48 by saying, For bodily exercise profiteth
little, but godliness is profitable unto all things,
having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is
to come. It's not that exercise or
finances or the news or even leisure is immaterial.
Quite the contrary, however, Paul reminds young Timothy not
to miss eternal issues of real importance at the expense of
more temporary ones. Friend, if all this talk of
heavenly things makes you feel like you're at your wit's end,
don't distress. By avoiding an earthly mindset,
believers in Christ will actually find life more joyful,
more liberating, and more fulfilling than they ever
dreamed possible. So where is your mind today?
It's a worthy question when I pray we can all answer correctly
before the 11th hour. And you know, Speaking of the
clock, it seems that it's time to call it a day for this week's
episode of Liberty at Home. And while we may be out of time
for today, there's never a bad time to visit Liberty Baptist
Church. You can find us at 800
Washington St. across from Easton Pool and Spa here at
Easton. And we meet every Sunday
morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.
Check us out on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, all the
podcast platforms or at my libertybaptist.org.
Well, don't forget that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is Liberty. I'm Pastor Adam Rivero and I'm
signing off from get another episode of Liberty at Home.