Swapping
I’m sure boys and girls, that you all know what it is to “swap” something. It’s one of the most popular things that boys and girls do. Perhaps, for example, you have a pal who has a good book that you have been wanting to read for a long time, and you know that your pal would dearly like to have your box of paints; you might make a bargain with your pal, and say, “Let’s swap: I’ll give you my box of paints for your book.” You would exchange the one thing for the other; isn’t that right?
Now, the Bible tells us of a marvellous exchange that God was willing to make with the children of Israel once. He said, “For your brass, I will bring gold; and for iron, I will bring silver; for wood, brass, and for stones, iron.” In other words, whatever the people of Israel would give to God’s service He would give them greater things in return, even though some of the things that they would give wouldn’t be of much value, in some people’s eyes.
Some boys and girls think that there isn’t anything that they can really offer to God or do for God’s glory. But, if those things are really done with a desire to please God and bring honour to His name, God will be pleased with whatever you do and will give you greater things in exchange for them.
But, how will I begin to please God? You may be saying. Well, it’s by believing in the greatest exchange of all that the Bible tells us about. Here’s what it says: “For he (the Lord Jesus Christ) became sin for us … that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” It means that Jesus took our sin – all our evil thoughts and actions – and He suffered on the cross for them. And because He did that, we are able to take His righteousness – all His goodness and holiness – and be forgiven for our sin. You see the exchange, don’t you? Jesus took our sin, so that we could have His righteousness and be forgiven.
That’s the first thing you must do to please God – you must believe in the Lord Jesus with all your heart. Once you believe in Christ with all your heart, then you can on pleasing God from day to day by obeying His Word – the Bible – and doing what it says. When you do that, then God will bless you in exchange for that.