Word of Encouragement (5/21/2020)

Yesterday, we considered Vos’ suggestion that faith can be viewed as “other-worldliness” or “heavenly-mindedness.” He shows how the patriarchs (i.e., Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) demonstrated their faith:

“The other-worldliness of the patriarchs showed itself in this, that they confessed to be strangers and pilgrims on the earth. It found its visible expression in their dwelling in tents. Not strangers and pilgrims outside of Canaan, but strangers and pilgrims in the earth. The writer places all the emphasis on this, that they pursued their tent-life in the very land of promise, which was their own, as in a land not their own. Only in this way is a clear connection between the staying in tents and the looking forward to heaven obtained.”

Let us notice how their faith, which was heavenly-mindedness, manifested itself in a very tangible way—choosing to live in tents in the Promised Land. Even though faith is a mindedness, it is not confined to our mind. Our mind is not just a place where we store knowledge or analyze information; it is also the engine that turns the wheels of our action. True faith does not just think and emote; true faith makes decisions and produces actions. How is your faith expressed?

Tent-dwelling was their expression of their heavenly-mindedness. This doesn’t mean that we have to sell our houses and start living in tents. Some may feel call to live that way but tent-dwelling is not the only expression of our heavenly-mindedness. Simply participating in worship regularly can be an important and powerful expression of our heavenly-mindedness if we do it with a right understanding—not merely as a weekly, religious ritual but as a conscious declaration of our heavenly hope as we rest from our worldly labors and recreations to worship God. Learning to let go of things readily and willingly when the Lord takes them away is another way. For all of us, there may be different ways by which we can express our heavenly-mindedness. What are some of them?

Those who are heavenly-minded are strangers and aliens in this earth. The patriarchs were not strangers and aliens only when they were outside of the Promised Land. They were strangers and aliens “in the earth,” They did not feel at home anywhere in the world, including the Promised Land. How could they? Everywhere they went, they were surrounded by those who absolutized this world—even the religious ones with their earthly-minded religions. If political differences can divide families and friends and even antagonize one against the other, how much wider the gap between earthly-mindedness and heavenly-mindedness must be! This is why we long for and delight in assembling together with our fellow saints because we share heavenly-mindedness. And we also long for those around us to share heavenly-mindedness with us by placing their faith in Jesus Christ.

Have a blessed day as you think about how you can express your heavenly-mindedness in tangible ways.

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