 If we think that this life is all there is, then we might as well get the most out of it. But if we know that there is a world beyond this one, then we should do whatever good we can while we can and wait for our reward in the world to come. And so our faith in God, our Christian faith, frees us to be generous in this world, joyfully. We can delay gratification. We can sacrifice now because we will be rich later.