Wanna Trade?

If you know me at all, you know that I am a big sports fan. As a sports fan there isn't a lot that matches the excitement, worry, hope, frustration, or at least the possibility of those things (all rolled into one) like trade rumors or an actual trade. Trades can be a quick fix or hope for things to come in the future. Sometimes trades work out for both teams, but, usually one team gets the better end of the deal. If you are a fan of the Mariners you probably feel that the M's seem to be on the short side most of the time.

Did you know that the Bible talks about the worst trade ever made? Romans 1:21-23 talks about trading the biggest superstar ever for a flash in the pan minor leaguer that never even made it to the show, it says; "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

The best was available, yet it was traded for something less. The creator of the universe was available, yet He was traded for created things. We still do this today! We have the opportunity to have a relationship with the God of the universe, the one who created each of us, the one who sent His son to die for us because He loves us so much, yet, we trade Him for lesser things.

What are you trading God for? We all do it in various ways and at various times. We trade Him for fame, for money, for power, for our kids, for our spouse, for stuff, for our career, etc., etc. Like the minor leaguer with lots of potential, we think these things are going to pan out and lead to our ultimate success, happiness, fulfillment, or whatever else we are looking for. The difference is that in baseball, sometimes the minor leaguer does end up doing what the executives thought he would or even more. In life, all of these things that we trade God for end up failing, disappointing, or otherwise leave us unfulfilled. Don't be fooled by the empty promises of more or better from anything other than God, He's untradeable.