If the dead do not rise, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!’ 

(1 Corinthians 15:32 NIV)

It may not be true, but the story is told of Russian pilots who were invited to an American air base after the Cold War ended. The Base Commander wanted to break the ice at a formal dinner, so he offered what he thought was a friendly toast in Russian: “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die.”

The room went silent. The Russian guests barely touched their food and left early. Confused, the Commander asked what went wrong. A pilot explained: “Sir, what you actually said was, ‘Feast, drink and make happy, for tomorrow we will kill you.’”

That was a message that was definitely lost in translation! But here’s the thing, even the intended toast isn’t good advice for living.  Despite that fact, it perfectly captures how our culture often thinks: Live it up now because you can’t take it with you. Maximize pleasure, minimize pain, and don’t worry too much about right and wrong. Just enjoy yourself while you can.

It all sounds very modern, like something you’d see on a motivational poster or a T-shirt.  But this way of thinking is ancient. The apostle Paul actually quoted a version of it in 1 Corinthians 15:32: “If the dead do not rise, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!’” (NIV)

Paul’s point was this:  if there’s no resurrection, no eternity, no accountability beyond this life, then yes, we ought to party on. Grab what you can while you can. But here’s the catch: there is something more. There is resurrection. There is judgment. There is eternity. And that changes everything.

That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy life. Good food, good drink, celebration, and laughter are all gifts from God. The problem comes when pleasure becomes our focus, when “feeling good” is the only criteria for the choices we make.

Living with eternity in view means that we live differently.  How we treat people matters. What we do with our resources matters. The character we’re building matters.

So yes, eat and drink. Celebrate. Enjoy the good gifts God provides. But don’t live like tomorrow is just another day that ends in nothingness.  Live like someone who knows there’s more to the story, because there is. Live like your choices are building something that lasts, because they are.

The best life isn’t found in ignoring eternity. It’s found in embracing it.

Prayer: Lord, help me enjoy your good gifts without making them the focus of my life. Teach me to live with joy, but also with wisdom, knowing that this life is preparing me for the next. May the future hope you have given me help me to make choices that honor you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day