Do you think the old quip is true, that some Christians are so heavenly-minded that they aren't any earthly good? I've met some who are like this, but I guess I shouldn't generalize and say it's true of all Christians, should I? — T.N.

No, you shouldn't -- because by and large it's not. Yes, you may have met a few people you think are like this -- but it isn't true of those sincerely seeking to follow in Jesus' footsteps. In fact, the more seriously we take heaven, the more seriously we'll take our responsibilities on earth.

Why is this? One reason is because life is short; none of us knows how long we have to live. We need to live each day as if it were our last -- for some day it will be. If you are ever going to live for Christ, it should be now. Every day is a gift from God, and it isn't to be wasted or spent in selfish indulgence, but to be lived for Him. Jesus said, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work" (John 9:4).

Jesus doesn't call us to escape from this world and its problems, but to confront them with His power and love. Just before His arrest Jesus prayed for His disciples, not asking God to remove them from the world but to be with them in its midst. He said, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world.... As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world" (John 17:15, 18).

Make sure of your commitment to Christ -- and then ask Him to help you serve Him faithfully every day.