Four steps to be heavenly

 Posted at Reformation Scotland:

Believers are citizens of heaven, and their lifetime in this world is a journey heading to their home in heaven. As such, heaven should be prominently in a believer’s thoughts, and heavenliness should be the prominent characteristic of their lives. But this world is a hostile environment for the believer, and it may often seem that worldliness and earthly-mindedness are insuperable obstacles to keeping up the continual converse and interaction with heaven which is essential for heavenliness. In the following updated excerpt, James Durham gives four pieces of advice to help us match better with Paul’s description of Christians in Philippians 3 as those who have their citizenship or “conversation” “in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

It’s likely you will ask, “What are the means or steps by which we may ascend to this heavenliness?” This is indeed a very suitable and necessary question, and I hope to God that we are serious in proposing it, and convinced of the necessity of it.

Set worldly things to one side

So, let those who long to be heavenly know first of all that they must die to creature comforts, and exercise self-denial about them. In Colossians 3, these two things are set in opposition, “setting our affection on things in heaven, and not on things of the earth.” To go up and down at the same time is impossible. If you want to be heavenly, you must seek to have the world little and low in your estimation.

Seek not only to be free from the sinful entanglements of the world, but also to be mortified even to lawful things. I am not encouraging you to be negligent in your honest and lawful callings, far less to lay them aside, but be heavenly-minded and in a holy way self-denying in your diligence.

Use the things of this world as not abusing them. Do not be taken with them, do not be glued to them. Minding earthly things too much clogs our hearts, and drags them down, so that they do not rise up to heaven. While the heart is surfeited with the cares of this life, it is impossible that it can soar aloft.

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