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Pavel Mosko

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You ever heard this phrase, so heavenly minded your no earthly good?

Do you know where this phrase comes from?

lol YES! It's never been used against me, but it could have been easily done so by some of my relatives like that uncle I have talked about before who definitely have had that kind of sentiment.
 
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St_Worm2

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Thank you stworm, that helped understand that phrase a lot, you two have a good night!
You're welcome :) I would love to know the context in which Holmes used that quote.

BTW, the fact is that for us Christians, it is the Lord Himself who continually labors to see us "Heavenly minded"/to turn our eyes away from this world and back onto Him (and to our future with Him). And as the article I posited above insinuated, a proper focus on God and our future life with Him only enhances a proper focus on the life we are leading in the here and now.

Perhaps you would be interested in this excerpt (part 1 of 6) from Institutes about this very topic (concerning God's work in our lives to return our focus to Him). I will post the remaining 5 parts if you prefer as there is much more, and what is said in part 1 is often qualified in one manner or another by what is said in the other 5 parts on this section of Institutes, Of Meditating On The Future Life, Book 3/Part 9/Sections 1-6.

1. WHATEVER be the kind of tribulation with which we are afflicted, we should always consider the end of it to be, that we may be trained to despise the present, and thereby stimulated to aspire to the future life. For since God well knows how strongly we are inclined by nature to a slavish love of this world, in order to prevent us from clinging too strongly to it, he employs the fittest reason for calling us back, and shaking off our lethargy.

Every one of us, indeed, would be thought to aspire and aim at heavenly immortality during the whole course of his life. For we would be ashamed in no respect to excel the lower animals; whose condition would not be at all inferior to ours, had we not a hope of immortality beyond the grave. But when you attend to the plans, wishes, and actions of each, you see nothing in them but the earth. Hence our stupidity; our minds being dazzled with the glare of wealth, power, and honours, that they can see no farther.

The heart also, engrossed with avarice, ambition, and lust, is weighed down and cannot rise above them. In short, the whole soul, ensnared by the allurements of the flesh, seeks its happiness on the earth. To meet this disease, the Lord makes his people sensible of the vanity of the present life, by a constant proof of its miseries. Thus, that they may not promise themselves deep and lasting peace in it, he often allows them to be assailed by war, tumult, or rapine, or to be disturbed by other injuries. That they may not long with too much eagerness after fleeting and fading riches, or rest in those which they already possess, he reduces them to want, or, at least, restricts them to a moderate allowance, at one time by exile, at another by sterility, at another by fire, or by other means. That they may not indulge too complacently in the advantages of married life, he either vexes them by the misconduct of their partners, or humbles them by the wickedness of their children, or afflicts them by bereavement. But if in all these he is indulgent to them, lest they should either swell with vain-glory, or be elated with confidence, by diseases and dangers he sets palpably before them how unstable and evanescent are all the advantages competent to mortals. We duly profit by the discipline of the cross, when we learn that this life, estimated in itself, is restless, troubled, in numberless ways wretched, and plainly in no respect happy; that what are estimated its blessings are uncertain, fleeting, vain, and vitiated by a great admixture of evil. From this we conclude, that all we have to seek or hope for here is contest; that when we think of the crown we must raise our eyes to heaven. For we must hold, that our mind never rises seriously to desire and aspire after the future, until it has learned to despise the present life.
~Calvin, J., Institutes of the Christian Religion.

--David

Spurgeon - Kiss, Waves, Rock of Ages.png

We know that God causes all things to work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are
called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28
 
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mlepfitjw

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You're welcome :) I would love to know the context in which Holmes used that quote.

BTW, the fact is that for us Christians, it is the Lord Himself who continually labors to see us "Heavenly minded"/to turn our eyes away from this world and back onto Him (and to our future with Him). And as the article I posited above insinuated, a proper focus on God and our future life with Him only enhances a proper focus on the life we are leading in the here and now.

Perhaps you would be interested in this excerpt (part 1 of 6) from Institutes about this very topic (concerning God's work in our lives to return our focus to Him). I will post the remaining 5 parts if you prefer as there is much more, and what is said in part 1 is often qualified in one manner or another by what is said in the other 5 parts on this section of Institutes, Of Meditating On The Future Life, Book 3/Part 9/Sections 1-6.

1. WHATEVER be the kind of tribulation with which we are afflicted, we should always consider the end of it to be, that we may be trained to despise the present, and thereby stimulated to aspire to the future life. For since God well knows how strongly we are inclined by nature to a slavish love of this world, in order to prevent us from clinging too strongly to it, he employs the fittest reason for calling us back, and shaking off our lethargy.

Every one of us, indeed, would be thought to aspire and aim at heavenly immortality during the whole course of his life. For we would be ashamed in no respect to excel the lower animals; whose condition would not be at all inferior to ours, had we not a hope of immortality beyond the grave. But when you attend to the plans, wishes, and actions of each, you see nothing in them but the earth. Hence our stupidity; our minds being dazzled with the glare of wealth, power, and honours, that they can see no farther.

The heart also, engrossed with avarice, ambition, and lust, is weighed down and cannot rise above them. In short, the whole soul, ensnared by the allurements of the flesh, seeks its happiness on the earth. To meet this disease, the Lord makes his people sensible of the vanity of the present life, by a constant proof of its miseries. Thus, that they may not promise themselves deep and lasting peace in it, he often allows them to be assailed by war, tumult, or rapine, or to be disturbed by other injuries. That they may not long with too much eagerness after fleeting and fading riches, or rest in those which they already possess, he reduces them to want, or, at least, restricts them to a moderate allowance, at one time by exile, at another by sterility, at another by fire, or by other means. That they may not indulge too complacently in the advantages of married life, he either vexes them by the misconduct of their partners, or humbles them by the wickedness of their children, or afflicts them by bereavement. But if in all these he is indulgent to them, lest they should either swell with vain-glory, or be elated with confidence, by diseases and dangers he sets palpably before them how unstable and evanescent are all the advantages competent to mortals. We duly profit by the discipline of the cross, when we learn that this life, estimated in itself, is restless, troubled, in numberless ways wretched, and plainly in no respect happy; that what are estimated its blessings are uncertain, fleeting, vain, and vitiated by a great admixture of evil. From this we conclude, that all we have to seek or hope for here is contest; that when we think of the crown we must raise our eyes to heaven. For we must hold, that our mind never rises seriously to desire and aspire after the future, until it has learned to despise the present life.
~Calvin, J., Institutes of the Christian Religion.

--David

View attachment 293582
We know that God causes all things to work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are
called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

Thank you for sharing. Never thought a day in my life, would read a message from Mr. Calvin.
 
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St_Worm2

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Thank you for sharing. Never thought a day in my life, would read a message from Mr. Calvin.
Happy that I was able to help expand your universe brother :) Calvin wrote more in his 54 years than most avid readers are capable of reading in their lifetimes.

When I was 4 yrs old, my parents enrolled me in French class (instead of preschool), because French was the principle international language back then (like English is today), due in large part to the excellence of the writings of John Calvin.

--David
 
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EmethAlethia

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You ever heard this phrase, so heavenly minded your no earthly good?

Do you know where this phrase comes from?

It comes from those who do not know true Christians seeking to figure out and live the truth of Christ. Those who are a light of the world and are salt, exposing the deeds of darkness and who are responding to others as Christ responded to them always result in improving themselves and the world around them. Those who are in the world will hate them and will expose their evil deeds. To them, we are evil. They know their condemnation, that those who practice what we expose are worthy of the death they will receive. But then, to them, sin is good, they give hearty approval to those practicing the same things. That said, they also know they are worthy of death. Rom. 1:18-32
 
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