You Only Live Once...is the battle cry of the adventurous. Don’t live lives of quiet existence when you can experience zest, passion, and excitement! After all…You Only Live Once!
A great battle cry…YES. True? NO! The fact is, we don’t only live once. There is life after this one…and it is more important than the one we are living. After all…it lasts for eternity!
“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
John 5:28–29 (NASB95)
Jesus dealt with the YOLO attitude of His day as well. In a parable that appears in Luke 16:19-31, He describes a man who experienced every pleasure in this life only to die and experience torment. In juxtaposition, Lazarus suffered in this life but found peace in eternity. Jesus explained the point in the convictions of both men in eternity. Lazarus was at perfect peace while the other man exhibited great concern for his own well-being and for those he cared for, who were still living. It seemed that the man felt some sense of responsibility, perhaps due to his familial affections or perhaps in recognition of his influence on others who would soon follow him to eternal judgment.
The truth is, no one only lives once. But only one life in eternity is worth living. Furthermore, it is what we do in this life that controls our destiny in the next. What we do in this life also, as Jesus’ parable makes clear, powerfully influences how well-prepared others are for their next life.
If your life is all about the now, I want to tell you that it’s not too late (if you’re reading this), but you should act today. Jesus permits U-turns and desires for you to experience the very best He has to offer…in this life and in eternity.
This article first appeared at Englewood Baptist Church as part of our e-connect devotional series.
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