Recently, my wife and I took a course in personal finance to try to be prepared for our retirements in about ten years. 

The basic lesson was that we have to sacrifice now to have a better future. Then, when I went to the doctor, he urged me to go on a diet and lose weight. 

The message was the same: I need to sacrifice pleasure now for a better future.

Some people consider the Christian life as a third example of sacrificing now for a better future. But I believe scripture presents a different view. 

In this passage from John, Jesus tells us that eternal life and passing from death to life is a present-tense reality. When we believe in and follow Christ, we already have eternal life; we do not have to wait for it at some later date.

The abundant life that Jesus offers (see John 10:10) is not something we have to wait until physical death to receive. It is here now, in the present tense.

Prayer: Our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the abundant, eternal life that we have in you now. Amen