One Life, One Chance

National Youth Day

4/23/06

ONE LIFE, ONE CHANCE

I want to thank my dad for allowing me to speak tonight

Prov 27:1

1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

The writer is telling us that we have today

Many people always look to tomorrow, they plan for tomorrow, but tomorrow is never promised to us.

There are 4 words we all like to use --- they are ---“I’ll do it later.”

The cemeteries are full of people who thought they would have another day

It’s like the story of a man named Bill who had never gone to church in his life.

No matter how much he was encouraged, he just couldn’t be persuaded to go to church, not even on Easter or Christmas.

He would say, "When it freezes in June, then I will go to church."

One year there was an unusually cold spring, and it remained cold all the way into the month of June!

One day, in early June, the temperature dipped to freezing for several nights.

Everyone remembered Bill’s statement and wondered if this cold spell would finally get him to come to the church.

Well, yes! It certainly did! On that Sunday, Bill made his first appearance in the church building - while the organ played softly, and six men carried him in.

Yes, he made it, but instead of sitting in a pew, he was lying in a casket.

It has been said – ONLY ONE LIFE WILL SOON BE PAST

ONLY WHAT’S DONE FOR CHRIST WILL LAST

so Tonight I want to talk about One Life, One Chance.

If today is all we have – They we must make today count for Christ.

1. TODAY SOME BODY NEEDS ENCOURAGED

Story of Man & the Choir – Read

Don’t be like these men who hurt Bro. Ira.

Be like this father.

Football Story

There was a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart.

Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had.

But being half the size of the boys, he got absolutely nowhere.

At all the games this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.

This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship.

Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.

This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school.

But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn’t want to.

But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there.

He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior.

All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a bench-warmer all four years.

His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a "walk-in."

Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did.

The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul into every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.

The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father.

His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.

This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in a game.

It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram.

The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent.

Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning.

Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son.

And don’t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday."

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well.

In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear.

As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon.

"Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today," said the young man.