Bad Trades
Dave Faust
Did you ever make a bad trade? I've been extra cautious around used car lots ever since I traded my trusty, rusty '69 Plymouth for a sparkling silver '73 Comet—only to watch a few months later as the silver roof turned to rust due to a faulty paint job.
Sports fans love to talk about trades. Sometimes a slumping outfielder will hit .300 for a different team. And who knows? That "washed up" quarterback might lead his new team to the Super Bowl.
One of my most memorable trades occurred when I was about six years old. A friend offered me $5.00 and a bag of potato chips for the bike I was riding. That sounded like a good deal to me, so I took the money and munched on the chips as I walked home. The only problem? The bike actually belonged to my brother. My parents quickly nullified the deal. It was, in retrospect, a bad trade.
The Bible mentions a lot of bad trades. Adam and Eve traded a garden paradise for forbidden fruit. Esau gave up his birthright for bread and stew. The Israelites traded the glory of God for a golden calf. King David compromised his nation, his family, and his integrity when he slept with another man's wife. Judas betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver. Jewish leaders asked Pilate to free the rabble-rouser Barabbas instead of the innocent Lamb of God. Paul's coworker Demas deserted him because he loved the world more than he loved God's work. And what about these bad trades? "They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images . . . They exchanged the truth of God for a lie . . . and exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones" (Romans 1:23-27).
Every day, we're tempted to trade good things for bad. Spurred on by a "continual lust for more" (Ephesians 4:19), we can end up always searching for a better deal, a better-looking spouse, a bigger house, a more exciting church. Actually, the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence—and sometimes it just withers and dies.
Every weekend, youthful party-goers trade healthy bodies and minds for the foolishness of a beer-based "buzz." Others trade pure hearts and loving relationships for superficial sexual thrills that leave them empty and unfulfilled. Others pour years of effort into building a marriage, then trade it for the fleeting excitement of an affair.
Businessman and motivational speaker Fred Smith says, "Don't junk your old age." In other words, don't clutter your life with foolish decisions you'll regret as you grow older. Don't trash your later years with the litter of regrettable choices. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7).
It's a bad trade whenever we exchange truth for error, faith for worry, trust for doubt, family for career, purity for perversion, sound doctrine for human teachings, spiritual priorities for material wealth. As Jesus said, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36, 37).
How can we avoid bad trades? Be content. Be committed. Persevere. Keep trusting through trials. Keep growing toward maturity. Keep getting up after falling down. Keep holding on to the truth.
Be faithful until death, when we will exchange our earthly garments for the white robes of Heaven, and our bodies' feeble tents for the mansions of Home.
That will be a good trade.
This column first appeared in The Lookout on Jun 14, 1998.
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