Doing and going and accomplishing, to what purpose?

"He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." (Matt. 13:22,23).

Do, do, do. 

Go, go, go.

Accomplish, accomplish, accomplish.

Why are we doing, doing, doing, going, going, going?

Why are we accomplishing, accomplishing, accomplishing?

Not, "What?" But, "Why?", is the question.

I've heard it said that accomplishment brings us the greatest happiness. And, yes it can. But not if we are striving to accomplish without God, striving apart from Him, living separated from our Creator.

"Jesus did not shirk care and responsibility". Yet, "He was never so full of worldly care as to have no time or thought for heavenly things."

"Throughout His life on earth, Jesus was an earnest and constant worker. He expected much; therefore He attempted much. After He had entered on His ministry, He said, "I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." John 9:4. Jesus did not shirk care and responsibility, as do many who profess to be His followers. It is because they seek to evade this discipline that so many are weak and inefficient.... The energy, the solidity and strength of character, manifested in Christ are to be developed in us, through the same discipline that He endured. And the grace that He received is for us....

Jesus carried into His labor cheerfulness and tact. It requires much patience and spirituality to bring Bible religion into the home life and into the workshop, to bear the strain of worldly business, and yet keep the eye single to the glory of God. This is where Christ was a helper. He was never so full of worldly care as to have no time or thought for heavenly things. Often He expressed the gladness of His heart by singing psalms and heavenly songs. Often the dwellers in Nazareth heard His voice raised in praise and thanksgiving to God. He held communion with heaven in song; and as His companions complained of weariness from labor, they were cheered by the sweet melody from His lips. His praise seemed to banish the evil angels, and, like incense, fill the place with fragrance. The minds of His hearers were carried away from their earthly exile, to the heavenly home. " Desire of Ages, p. 73.

When we spend all of our time and effort, all of our thought and actions, achieving and accomplishing, what do we end up with? We have a thing. A finished project. A finished program. Big deal! And after years of doing and going and accomplishing, what do we have? A bunch of finished things and a few accolades from the organization! We have some pink stickies that we can frame if we have the interest and energy to do one last thing before we fall into the grave!

We have a work of our own hand, which God calls an idol.

"Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots: their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made: and the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not." (Isa. 2:7-9).

Our life is an idol that we worship because we never brought the great God into our works, letting Him join in our joy to accomplish and permeate our love of accomplishment. We treated Him like the kid that has to stay out of the way, hardly being seen, and definitely not being heard.

"Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." (Ecc. 2:11).

Vanity. In vain. All for nothing. Kaput.

After 30, 40, 50, years of doing and going and accomplishing comes the horrible nightmarish thought, "Who, except for me, is going to remember what I did?" For most us, no one is going to remember. Maybe our spouse. Maybe our children. On rare occasion a distant relative at a reunion, or an even rarer stranger, might want to touch on the works of our own hands for a conversation piece. Maybe a door to door salesman will see our framed yellow sticky accolades hanging on the wall, and chat about them in order to get himself a commission. (That sounds so horrific, yet all too often we hear of the elderly being forgotten and neglected.) 

But besides them, the things we killed ourselves to achieve and accomplish are forgotten. We can try to talk ourselves into believing that we did our part in building up a great nation, or our organization. But, will our organization stop by periodically to thank us and to reminisce? I trow not.

In reality, without communion with Jesus, without union and cooperation with the eternal One, our life was just busy work. Really, haven't the works of our own hands been simply us trying not to think of our accountability to the God who we have sinned against? Everybody knows deep down that they are sinners.

Aren't we so much like our father and mother of a thousand generations  previous, that is,  Adam and Eve? They ran from Jesus because of sin. They didn't want to admit to disloyalty to the God who gave them life and an lavish garden home and freedom of choice. He had told them, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat." How much more love could He express? However He must add, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat, lest you die." 

And they did eat of the forbidden tree. Now they must die. But they didn't want to call their sin evil and to confess any guilt. Sin, being cut off from their connection with their God of love, wouldn't allow them to repent. Their souls were rife with rebellion.

Yes, isn't humanity still running from their Redeemer? Isn't that the motive behind our life of employment and home and family affairs--our life of busy work? But busyness hasn't filled the God-sized hole in our hearts. It has left billions with no real purpose in life. And social justice programs and ministries don't fill the God-sized hole.

At the end of our life we look back and review our life of labor. And we must confess, "Why did I slave myself for that?" God reserves the place of being loved with all our heart and mind and strength. But we have given that privileged honor to our employer, our professor, our family, our spouse, or to our self.

And there is more. Multitudes will come up to Judgment Day and find out that they did worse than just waste time. They wasted millions of wide open opportunities to get in close with the One who they consigned to being seen but not heard, yet who was seeking every chance to woo them to Him and a future eternity with Him, another Eden, "the first dominion", done right this time.

"In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." (Mic. 4:6-8).

We must not miss this promise. Let's be good ground hearers that hear the truth and repent at the goodness of God and let Him grow His fruits in us.

Let's no longer seek to circumvent the poweful, convicting word of God with all of its "doctrine,... reproof,... correction,... instruction in righteousness" (2Tim. 3:16). Jesus is our Father, so He has the right to keep us in line! No one is too old to not be treated like a child by their Creator. Be glad you have a living Parent.

Because our Father loves us and corrects us, let'sbe determined to hear and heed all that His word has to offer. God doesn't waste His breath on His instructions for us. The scriptures are written perfectly, with precepts that are exemplified by personal examples of what to do and what not to do. It's beautiful! The Bible is easy to understand especially as He changes the human heart to love Him and His righteous and loving precepts. The Bible is easy to identify with. The Son is easy to relate to. Before it's too late, let's make the profound simplicity of the Almighty's thoughts our priority, our foundation. Every other pastime leaves us empty, purposeless, confused, and woefully unprepared for the coming "first dominion".

Why invest our lives in a world that is going away? Why work hard for that which is not bread? "What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26). This world is ready to pass away.

What college grad would invest in a career with a company that is spiraling into its demise and will never correct its course? What investor will throw his wealth into such a company? What hope is there in an empire that has decided fiscal irresponsibility and its adversarial successor is standing ready to take over after its collapse? 

But that is America and its global empire today. What rises out of the global rubble will be hideous and reprehensible. Nothing to have a vested interest in. It's going to speak like the dragon. The dragon will have full control.

But only for "one hour" (Rev. 17:12). The first dominion is also returning with a vengeance. "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven and Earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." ( Rev. 14:7)

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

Saying We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." (Rev. 11:15-19).

"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great." (Rev. 16:17-21).