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.

Lay up your treasure in heaven

Those who want to be heavenly must lay up their treasure in heaven, “for where the treasure is, there will the heart be also.” If you were under the deep and due conviction of the vanity of earthly things, and of the excellency of heaven and heavenly things — if you were reckoning soberly and seriously that heaven is what you simply must have — then it would be much easier to screw up your affections to it.

If your great stock and treasure was in heaven, your heart would certainly be there, along with your hope, your love and your delight. If you are seeking contentment and satisfaction in earthly vanities (where they cannot be found), it keeps your heart out of heaven.

Often think of heavenly things

Be much in the duty of meditating on and contemplating heavenly things. This is like the main cog in the clock. When you have the mind heavenly, often conversing in heaven, and often thinking of it, and often recounting the blessed advantages and the glorious and great happiness that are there, even till “your meditation of God be made sweet,” and till your delight in Him is stirred up and strengthened, this makes you heavenly.

Little of this kind of meditation makes little heavenly-mindedness. Also, when the mind is not on heaven, something worse comes in the place of it. You will easily assent to the truth of this, because you know how the tendency and inclination of your own mind is naturally downwards, and how naturally it runs on vanities. You know how difficult it is to keep it fixed on heavenly things, even for two or three sentences! You know, too, how preternatural a movement it is to make it ascend and go upward.

It is an excellent word that David has in Psalm 139, “When I awake I am still with thee.”

Frequently communicate with heaven

I commend to you to be trading with heaven. Be often and serious in prayer, frequently sending up desires there, and bringing returns of prayer from there in great measures of grace. Catching hold of and grip at what is above you, so that you will be helped up the high and holy hill.

It “transforms into the same image from glory to glory,” to be keeping love to Christ fresh, to have hope as an anchor cast within the veil.

In a word, love to Christ and delight in Him are not only a considerable part of holiness, they are also the result of holiness. We must strive for holiness in all its parts, and holiness in all manner of conversation. In all duties, and in all the steps of our walk and conversation, we must aim at a heavenly frame of mind. This is necessary in order to keep in His love, and cherish and increase in love to Him and delight in Him. We should often think on what helps to it, namely, “Let thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven.” This word is often in the mouths of many, but little in their hearts.

Think of the danger of being earthly-minded

How lamentably different are the practices of many of you to what I have just said! We may indeed blush and think shame to speak of having a citizenship in heaven, and you may think shame to hear it, when there is so little of it amongst us!

But we must speak of it, and you must hear it spoken of, since it is a part (and a great part) of our duty, and it will be a part (and a great part) of our reckoning.

We lay and leave this point on you from the Lord, for you to actively think over: Do not think that you will ever have your citizenship in heaven afterwards, if you have not had your citizenship in heaven here.

Many make a wonderful profession of religion, and seem to come near to the harbour of rest, yet never enter into it. They are like a ship that comes with up-sails very near to the port, and is unexpectedly blown back to the sea again. Whereas the believer who has his anchor cast on firm and sure ground within the veil is enabled to endure tossing, being like a tight ship that is able to ride out the storm and reach the port. His treasure is in heaven, and there is a sure and indissoluble knot cast between heaven, where his treasure is, and his heart.

You can see for yourself what great harm you do to yourself to be earthly minded, and to slight this walk with God and interaction with heaven. Who would dare presume to come before God, the righteous judge of heaven and earth, in whose sight the very heavens are not pure, to abide His trial, when they have been squandering all their days in the puddles of the world, never once seriously and suitably thinking of a citizenship in heaven? Oh, let the consideration of eternal happiness on the one hand, and of eternal misery on the other, provoke you and compel you all to strive in good earnest to be heavenly!

You who are believers in Christ and children of light, walk in the light, in a way that is appropriate given your heavenly Father and the hope of your heavenly inheritance. Be more conversant in heaven, before you come there — heaven, where you will be very soon for evermore.

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