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Too Heavenly-Minded to Be Any Earthly Good?


But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (I Timothy 6:11-12) 

            Are you a man of God? Paul said there is neither male nor female, so if you’re woman of God, you’re also a man of God. Are you one? If so, you need to flee from all this: love of money, false doctrine, conceitedness…. Instead, you are to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Notice that love alone is not enough. Your goal is to be, as someone I know is wont to describe it, “so heavenly minded you’re no earthly good.” Of course, his description isn’t accurate. It is when we are so heavenly minded that we become earthly good.
         When we’re earthly minded, we’re no heavenly good, and that leads to being no earthly good either. That’s why we have to fight the good fight of the faith. This fight isn’t about ripping open your shirt to reveal the Super Saint hidden behind your Casper Milquetoast exterior. It’s not about your physique. It’s about your soul-ique. Your soul is your promised land, that vast area that God has given to you to take back from your enemies: the world, the flesh and the devil. As with the Israelites, any time we fail to destroy our enemies, they return to take back the land we thought we’d won. It’s not a “sign a treaty to end the war” sort of war. It’s a way in which we must fight to our deaths so that we are free. We are given eternal life as a gift, but in order to receive it, we must take it and be responsible for it.

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