Carpe Diem

Did it seem strange to hear Pastor John preach a message entitled, “Carpe Diem”? It sounds like the rallying cry of the humanists who say that there is no heaven and there is no hell. “This life is all we have to live,” they say. “Therefore, do whatever feels good. Do whatever makes you happy. Carpe Diem! Seize the day!”
As Christians, it is easy to say, “No, that’s not right. This isn’t all there is. There is a heaven, and there is a hell. And for those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus, there is the hope of eternal life in heaven, where there will be no more pain, suffering, sickness, death, or sin.” Many like to say that this life on earth is merely the dress rehearsal for the real thing. Therefore, we may be quick to reject the phrase, “Carpe Diem.” Do not seize the day. Do not live for today. Live each day with eternity in view. Deny yourself now, so that you may be rewarded in heaven.
But is this what Jesus taught? Was His message of self-denial antithetical to Carpe Diem? I don’t believe so, and Pastor John did a great job of pointing that out.
In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” He says to each of us, “I came that you may have life and have it abundantly.”
One of the major themes of the Bible is that of eternal life. As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Now, the problem for many of us is that, when we think of eternal life, we think of heaven. We restrict our definition of eternal life to that which exists out past the great beyond. It is out there somewhere for us to enjoy someday in the great by and by.
But when does Jesus give us eternal life? When does He give us the abundant life He spoke of in John 10:10? He gives it to us now. We receive it when we receive Him as our Savior and Lord. I John 5:12 says, “Whoever has the Son has life.” John doesn’t say that we will have life. He doesn’t say we have the hope or the promise of life at some point later on. He says that we already have life; right here, right now.
Therefore, while we do affirm our belief in the hereafter; while we do believe that eternal life is indeed eternal, and that we will spend eternity in heaven, we also recognize that this eternal life, for us, has already begun.
So what does this all mean? Carpe Diem! Seize the day! Jesus came to give us life. It lies with us now to live that life to the fullest. Take advantage of it. Lay hold of it. Enjoy it. Make it count for something.
At this point, someone may balk and say, “Now wait a minute. Jesus doesn’t want us to just live for today. He doesn’t want us to live for ourselves. He certainly doesn’t want us to live a life of sin and pleasure-seeking.”
No, He doesn’t want us to live that way. But any notion that this is what it means to seize the day is missing the point. It reflects a lack of understanding regarding the essence of the life Jesus came to give us. Many people think this abundant life equates to health, wealth, prosperity, and happiness. Televangelists use this promise to get people to donate to their ministries. But this is not what Jesus meant when He spoke of abundant life.
So what is the essence of this life He came to give us. Jesus actually defines it for us during His high priestly prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, as recorded in John 17. In verse 3, as He is praying to the Father, He says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
What is the life Jesus came to give us? Life is knowing God. Life is knowing Jesus. And abundant life is knowing Him intimately. It is having a personal, dynamic, growing, thriving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, when the Christian says, “Seize the day,” it means we are to lay hold of God. We must do anything and everything, everyday, that will foster this kind of relationship with God. And this is where what Jesus taught about self-denial factors into the picture. We must deny our selfish desires, so that we may know God and love Him more deeply. Herein, as we follow Him and are blessed by Him, we will find the true joy and pleasure in life that only He can provide.

Study Questions:

1. What does “Carpe Diem” mean to you? What do you think of when you hear, “Seize the Day”?

2. How do you define life? How have you thought of the “abundant life” in the past? How do you need to change your thinking about abundant life?

3. Are you experiencing the abundant life Jesus spoke of? That is, how well do you know God? Are you in intimate fellowship with Him, or does He seem distant from you? What do you need to do in order to experience greater fellowship with Him?