Exchanging earthly things for heavenly

 Posted at Reformation Scotland:

Until the grace of God reaches us, our perceptions of reality are very skewed. Getting things exactly back to front, we overlook spiritual and heavenly things as insignificant and invest all our interest and energies on our everyday lives. It takes the Holy Spirit to make us spiritual, and sometimes He uses a period of difficulty to make this change in us. One young man who experienced this was Andrew Welwood. Son of a godly minister and brother to the Covenanting minister John Welwood, Andrew seems to have had thoughts of entering the ministry himself. However, he became terminally ill with a consumptive illness and all his thoughts turned to heaven, where he would see his Redeemer face to face. Reaching out by writing when he was unable to pursue the ministry, Andrew Welwood wrote an extended meditation titled “A Glimpse of Glory.” In the following excerpt he invites us all, whether believers or unbelievers, to turn away from earthly trivialities and instead reflect deliberately and fixedly on eternal realities with faith in the Lord Jesus.

Heavenly-mindedness is an essential trait in a believer

Heirs of glory, what do you think of your goodly inheritance? the delightsome countries, the pleasant habitations, the unspeakable joys, the everlasting pleasures, the inconceivable blessedness, that lie a little before you, and to which you are hastening?

Are you not amazed with the consideration of your wonderful rights and privileges? Is it possible you can bear the fore-thoughts of what you are coming to? Shall you ever be able to pull your minds down from such ravishing things? Have not all sublunary excellencies disappeared in your sight? What are the stars, when the sun appears?

I think this is what I hear every one of you say:

“I have done for ever with the painted clay images, for I have seen and found the only real and substantial things. O joy unspeakable and full of glory! I more or less overlook both the delights and the sorrows of time, while I lie here in view of eternal delights. One moment’s immediate converse with Jehovah and the Lamb shall eradicate all the impressions of sorrow and grief that I can possibly undergo. I shall see Him as He is! I am to see Him face to face! These arms, even these very arms, shall embrace the chief of ten thousand! I shall be for ever satiated with His infinite sweetness, even drunk and overfilled with his overcoming loves.”

Expressions fail me, for representing the high thoughts of my heart. Where am I now? Am I not almost in heaven already? Heart and love and all have fled there — nothing remains here but this clay tabernacle (and, before long, it shall be there also). Verily I have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God; my converse is not here any more.

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