It was only a very short time ago that I realized that this was now a legitimate word in English. In a recent issue of Time magazine, a columnist called attention to some new words that had lately been introduced into the Oxford English Dictionary. One of these was the word “yolo,” an acronym for the phrase, “You only live once.” It is indeed of comparatively recent origin, having been popularized by the song “The Motto,” sung by Canadian singer Aubrey Drake Graham in 2011. What is amazing is not the use of the words, for similar expressions have been used a number of times before. For example, in the twentieth century, the same phrase, “you only live once” was generally attributed to the comedian Mae West. A similar phrase was also used by the composer Johann Strauss in 1855, and the German author Goethe wrote, “One lives but once in the world,” back in 1774. Further back, the Latin expression “carpe diem” (literally “seize the day”) was around for centuries and carries the same connotation. But these expressions were comparatively little known and little used. What is amazing is how quickly Drake’s expression caught on and how widely it has been used among young people in the last few years. In fact, Drake himself apologized for the widespread use of the phrase, saying that he had “no idea that it would become so big.”
The phrase itself was taken up by young people right after Drake’s song was first introduced, and it was adopted into slang within a few months, no doubt spread by what might be termed the turbocharged vehicle of modern social media. It is generally used to express the view that one should make the most of the present moment without much concern for the future, and it is often used as a rationale for impulsive, reckless, or irresponsible behavior.
“Let Us Eat and Drink”
From the worldly point of view, the expression is, for the most part, used by young people and, perhaps, defines the somewhat common teenage penchant for testing the limits of acceptable behavior. But the fact that the expression was so widely adopted perhaps points to a deeper attitude, namely, one of extreme dissatisfaction, frustration, and perhaps disillusionment with the future of our world. We cannot relive the past, and the future of this world looks dismal, from a natural perspective. A precipitous rise in violent behavior, a worldwide shortage of resources (particularly food), nationalism, combined with a unsustainable debt load, both public and private, have all resulted in an interplay of economic and political forces with which man is unable to cope. In consequence, many are adopting the attitude that the Apostle Paul warned about in 1 Corinthians 15:3232If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. (1 Corinthians 15:32): “Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.”
This mindset comes about because the horizon of the natural man is only this world; he sees his life down here as the beginning and end of it all. But even those who generally adopt this view are beginning to be concerned. As one worldly writer observed, we do indeed live only once, but we must also remember that we die only once. Even the world recognizes that sometimes reckless behavior is fatal, and then life down here is over.
“After Death the Judgment”
But how solemn to contemplate the truth of Scripture, that tells us, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27))! More than this, the man who dies without Christ does not die only once; Scripture tells us that at the great white throne judgment, “death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Rev. 20:1414And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:14) JND). In no way does this imply annihilation, but rather a state of banishment from God’s presence for all eternity. What a sobering thought!
A Voice for Believers
But does all this have a voice for the believer? Indeed it does, for we too “live only once,” in the sense of life down here. Since we have been brought to know God through our Lord Jesus Christ and have been given new life in Him, we recognize that we were made for eternity, and not merely for time. It is sad sometimes to see believers (who should be living for eternity) walking after the course of this world and setting their hearts on things down here. It is true that we no longer fear the judgment to which we have just called attention in the previous paragraph, but are we left here simply to enjoy ourselves to the full, until the Lord calls us home? No indeed! Rather, we are called to seek the glory of and be occupied with the interests of the One who loves us and gave His life for us.
Many years ago, a young man, when asked to write in an autograph book, wrote the following before signing his name:
“Love that transcends our highest powers,
Demands our soul, our life, our all.”
This was abstracted from the hymn written long ago by Isaac Watts, and no doubt expressed the longing of his heart. But some years later the young woman who owned the autograph book asked the father of that same young man to write in her book. He had served the Lord for many years, and as he perused the book, he came across his son’s entry. He immediately wrote below it:
“Know ye not that ... ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:2020For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:20)).
These two quotations bring before us the sovereignty of God, in His choosing of us, and also our responsibility, in responding to His claims over us. We are indeed not our own, but God delights in the response of our hearts to His love and in a life down here that is lived for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do live down here only once, but during this short lifetime we are building for eternity. Let us always remember the words penned by another (C. T. Studd) who gave up much in this world in order to serve the Lord:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past;
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
W. J. Prost