The annual pastime for millions of Americans is to trade in their old (and not so old) used cars toward the purchase of a brand-new car. Unfortunately, this annual event is never ending. When you invite Jesus Christ into your life, the transaction becomes a permanent, one-time trade-in. (2 Corinthians 5:17) says: “…the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Just what are these old and new things?
The old things consist of our old nature. In this exchange we get to trade in our problems with envy, worry, jealousy, prejudice and lying. We get to unload the alarming stress we place our bodies under. The booze, gambling, drugs and host of other addictions so many of us have can also be thrown in free of charge.
In return we have traded up for our new creation models, equipped with a host of options.
Fully reclining peace, automatic joy and an eternal warranty on all of our parts are just a few options that are standard equipment for all of God’s children. What a trade-in: To get rid of the things we never wanted in the first place and to receive in return the things we really want out of life.
I can remember way back around 1990 I had the privilege to share a sermon at the New York City Rescue Mission that highlighted this trade-in concept. My audience was mostly homeless men, many with a drug and alcohol problem.
I can vividly remember that I told these down and out men that I had a deal for them that was simply out of this world. Simply put I told these men that if they accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior they could get rid of their lying, cheating, and substance abuse behavior, things that I told them they really would love to get rid of but couldn’t on their own. And in return they could receive peace, joy, and meaning, not to mention eternal life – things they desperately wanted but couldn’t get on their own. And then I added that the most wonderful thing about this deal was that Christ offered it to them as a free gift.
My friends salvation through Christ is the deal of the century. I pray that we never stop giving Jesus praise and thanksgiving for this incredible grace gift!