Trading

Isaiah 41:8-10

Ephesians 4: 22-24

John 17: 20-26

Trading

For awhile on cable TV there was a show called TRADING SPACES. I don’t know if it is still on or not, but the premise is, people agree to let their family or friends or neighbors come in and redecorate a room in their home, while they do the same to the other person’s house. Needless to say, it can get quite interesting with some of the things they come up with. Sometimes things get really messed up and the people aren’t happy. Other times, the rooms were in desperate need for a facelift and it helped a great deal.

Trading is about exchanging one thing for another. We all go through life, every day, making exchanges, making trades. Sometimes we trade paper called money for objects, or services. Other times we trade one object for another—like an old car for a newer one.  But we make other kinds of trades or exchanges too.

Women have this thing about getting bored with their appearance. Their hair, their clothing. Whatever. They feel the need to reinvent themselves every so often or they die from boredom. Guys on the other hand don’t care. I have worn my beard the same way for ages, and my hair this way for over a decade.  Some might consider that stale. I like to think of it as consistent.

Anyway, when a woman wants a new look, without too much expense, she goes into a salon, and often takes a picture with her. “I want to look like her.” Now in some cases, you know the stylist is thinking something like, “Girl, it would take a lot more talent than I have to make you look like that!” But there’s an image out there that they’re shooting for. They want to trade the way they look now, for a new image. But that kind of trade doesn’t change the reality of who they are.

Think about it. You were born male or female, and it is very hard and very expensive to trade that. You were born with a particular skin pigmentation, and you can’t trade those for anything different. You can’t trade the genetics of whether or not you’ll be bald, be tall, or have a ski-sloped nose. You can’t trade any of those kinds of things.

But you can trade behaviors. Many of Paul’s friends did. He wrote in his letters that they had. Some in this room have done the same.

For many people, Lent is about giving something up. Some people give up chocolate. Some may try to give up smoking. Some may go on a diet. But usually, they try to give those things up during Lent, and then go back to the way things were before once Easter is over. I don’t think God wants to just try giving things up.  I think God would rather see Lent as a time to make trades. It is a time during which we are called upon to reflect on who we are in the sight of God, and trade our way of living our life for guidance from Christ, who then will over time, change us, and help us trade our old way of living for a new one.

Psychologist’s often tell us that to trade one old habit for a new one, it takes about 6 weeks. You have to work hard at trading the behaviors, but if you do, if you persevere, you will likely make the change. Interestingly enough, that is the length of time Jesus spent in the wilderness, trading his old way of living as a carpenter for his new mission as God’s Son. Interestingly enough, that is the length of time for Lent. God is giving us just the right amount of time to trade our old way of living for his way of living.

Yesterday at the men’s breakfast we heard Kevin Gutberlet’s testimony about how he traded self focused behaviors, all directed toward what he knew, or at least thought he knew, were best for his car dealership, his employees, and his family. He had even exchanged the security of his 401K and his life savings for a couple more years of running his dealership. But one night he finally stopped telling God in his prayers what he thought he needed. He traded in his list of needs for what God wanted of him, and though he no longer has a dealership, he has a good job, is serving God as a pastor of a small church, and no longer has the stress that was there when he was doing his thing his way, as good as it was.

Anyone can change. What wonderful news. Anyone can change. But not without this truth: Change is your responsibility. All of our actions carry consequences. All of them. We trade our choice of behavior for consequences.  If we make good choices, there are good consequences. If we make bad choices, poor choices, the consequences are there, too. It is all up to us to trade our poor choices for better ones. If we allow God to guide our choices, the trades will all be good ones.

Jesus asks us to imagine trading places with our neighbors. Imagine some supernatural snap of the fingers which would trade places with your next door neighbor, your co-worker, your customer or client or patient. Imagine if you were the one trying to pay an overdue gas bill, or find a cheap way to fix your car so you could get to work at your 8 dollar an hour job.  Imagine if you were the one living in skin of a different color, suffering from HIV-AIDS, struggling to get a job, speaking English with a heavy accent, needing a ride to work, going through a divorce, frightened by the curse of a witch doctor, or simply ignorant of the love of God through Jesus Christ.

If you were her and she was you . . . if you and he traded places . . . how would you want to be treated? How would you like to be loved? Would you want someone to be kind to you? Would you like to get some financial help? Would you want to be told about forgiveness of sin and eternal life through Jesus? Would you want help finding a job? Would you be glad for some compassion and special attention?

We all know the answer to those questions. The answer is "of course!" Well, Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Christians are those who love their neighbors the way they love themselves. We are those who treat others the way we would want to be treated. We are called upon to trade our normal human inclinations for those of Jesus who extended God’s love to everyone, the least and the lost, the despised and the downtrodden.

Throughout the scriptures, Old and New Testaments, we find where God has asked people to make trades. Many times Jesus asked people to make trades, exchanges.  He asked the rich young man to trade his riches for a life journey with him. The rich young man turned away.  What are you willing to hang on to instead of trading it for a daily life following Christ?

When you give your life to Christ a great trade takes place. Jesus Christ trades places with you. He died for you on the cross. In that great transaction Christ took all your sins, guilt, punishment, rags and hung on the cross trading his life for you to have all that washed away. He traded his life to give you a new start in life and to give you life eternal, if you accept and obey him.  When you accept Christ as your Savior you receive His righteousness.

So what will you trade of your life for God’s love of you?