MINDING EARTHLY THINGS -- Monday:
"For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things" (Phil 3:18-19)
What does it mean to "mind earthly things?" You can discern from this passage that it is a most serious condition, not to be viewed as a harmless propensity. "Earthly things" are, by nature, temporary. At the highest end of the scale is the new birth, which occurs in the world. When speaking of regeneration to Nicodemus, our Lord affirmed the indispensability of the new birth. "You must be born again," He declared (John 3:7). The Jewish ruler balked at the saying, unable to grasp its significance. The Lord responded to the leader's obtuseness, "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12, NASB). Mind you, this is the most favorable view of "earthly things," yet it is not the focus of Divine attention. Rather, the new birth is the point at which we are "translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son" (Col 1:13). This is not the emphasis of the Gospel. Rather, those in Christ are urged to move on to spiritual maturity, else they will fall away after having begun (Heb 6:1-6).
From another, and much lower, perspective, "earthly things" are matters that occupy the attention of those whose primary and preferred residence is this world. The Arabic version renders it, "who entertain earthly opinions." As Jesus well said, "He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all" (John 3:31). There are only two realms that may be occupied, a higher and a lower, an eternal and a temporal.
Jesus came from heaven and spoke of it. His competitors were confined to the cursed realm, and that is what they talked about. It is still this way! Teachers with a primary allegiance to this world have an earthly emphasis. They bring an earth-centered message. Take away this world, and they have nothing to say. Things that are seen dominate their conversation. For them, earthly relationships are the fundamental ones. Things that are passing away have captured their attention, and they insist upon drawing the attention of their listeners to them. Such men speak considerably of marriage, finances, church growth, habits, and the likes. They do this because heaven is not in their eye. Thus, they "mind earthly things."
These "enemies" of the cross of Christ "MIND earthly things." That is what occupies their minds. It is what they think about. They have done what is expressly forbidden by both the word and nature of the heavenly Kingdom. "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, NOT on the things that are on earth" (Col 3:1-2, NASB). This postulates the incongruity of being raised with Christ while maintaining an earthly perspective. The earth, in all of its representations, has nothing that can be transferred to the eternal realm. Therefore, it is inappropriate to make it our focus.
Do not imagine earth-mindedness to be an innocent departure from the ideal. An earthly focus evidences a quenching of the Spirit, a refusal to hear Him that is speaking from heaven, and a resistance of Divine influence (1 Thess 5:19; Heb 12:25; Acts 7:51). To emphasize "earthly things" one must turn from "heavenly things." The Holy Spirit will never lead men to place the accent upon what is passing away – never! Lest we miss the gravity of minding earthly things, it is said of those who have such a mind, "whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame" (Phil 3:19). Those are the real facts.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for delivering us from this present evil world through Jesus Christ.