There are several blessings God gives His children which are enjoyed in this life to some degree and will be enjoyed in the life to come in an unlimited way.
Fellowship with God is an example. Because of the trials and tribulations of this life, fellowship with God has its peaks and valleys. It has its rough patches and splinters. Prayer also has its seasons. In the life to come, however, there will be nothing but unbroken, rich fellowship. This life’s ideal will be reality in the life to come.
Eternal life is something a Christian begins enjoying while living on this earth. It is enjoyed, however, in its embryonic stage; its initial first fruits are experienced here and now. Such wondrous blessings as fellowship with God, sanctification (though we are still imperfect and wrestling with besetting sins), and the abundant life (John 10:10) which comes from being a rightful member of Abraham’s seed and Christ’s bride in fellowship with the holy, holy, holy God of heaven.
In this life, eternal life is found in the distinct change in the quality of your day-to-day existence.
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It does not change the fact that you are separated from the tree of life and will die, thus requiring you to number your days (Psalm 901;12) and walk with careful obedience (Ephesians 5:15-17).
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It does not eliminate the possibility that you can shirk your responsibility to be steadfast and immovable in the faith (1 Corinthians 15:58), and therefore, you must not shrink back from living courageously with a vibrant, obedient trust in God so that you do not draw back into perdition (Hebrews 10:38-39).
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It does not mean that walking obediently in the light of God’s word (1 John 1:7) or confessing your sins when you fail to do so (1 John 1:9) becomes optional.
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It does not mean you can be unconcerned about the thorns in the soil of your heart. The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the desires for other things, and the pleasures of this life (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14) will still choke God’s word and its potential for fruitfulness in your heart, making you unfruitful, rejected, cursed, and destroyed (Hebrews 6:8).
When talking about eternal life, quality living in this life matters.
