Good morning, and God bless you throughout this Lord’s Day.
We are familiar with that Latin cry, “carpe diem!” We have always been told that it was a cry for battle to motivate Roman soldiers before they charged into the fray of combat, and that it should be translated into English as “Seize the day!”
That isn’t quite correct. It makes sense, and it could be loosely translated in that way, but the most common usage of the word “carpe” was “to pluck”. When I was a young person if I heard the verb “to pluck” my first thought would have been “Oh no! It’s time to butcher chickens. That’s nasty!” Such a thought wouldn’t have inspired many soldiers.
To the Roman soldier “carpe diem” meant that the enemy they were facing was ready for harvest. The battle cry was to say that the enemy was “ripe” and ready to be plucked or that they were, like a ripened piece of fruit, ready for the taking. The intention of the cry was to inspire the soldiers to take full advantage of the moment because the enemy would be “easy pickings”.
What would it mean to us if someone cried “Carpe diem!” as we began our time of worship this morning? Quite honestly, such a thing wouldn’t be inappropriate. It would be quite fitting for God’s children to come together in worship and cry: “It is ready! The time is right! This moment is perfect, and the blessings are ready for the taking”. Also, if such a cry were to be lifted up in worship, we would be acknowledging that the enemy is ready to be defeated. Carpe diem would be a shout to say that our God is greater and when He is at our side, we are invincible, the victory is won!
These scriptures speak to me as “carpe diem” thoughts:
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, give us all things? Romans 8:31-32
The wicked will flee even when they are not pursued, but the righteous are as bold as lions! Proverbs 28:1
Be bold in worship today. Sing songs of worship and praise with the joy of one who knows that the victory is won and that we belong to the King of Kings.
Vern