Webster says a bargain is an “advantageous purchase.” I guess it’s all right to look for bargains, but only if you know the relative value of the items you seek. I can recall going to a garage sale with my father and hearing him ask, “Do you have any old guns you want to swap?” He knew their value, and he often found a bargain. I have an old shotgun that he obtained this way. Its value to me is from the fact that he gave it to me rather than a means of bringing food to the table.
Sometimes Dad would say that instead of getting a bargain, he “got icked” (a word I think he invented). Not everything that is called a “bargain” turns out to be one, and most of us have probably had that unpleasant experience.
History is filled with “bargain” stories, some more “true” than others. How about Manhattan Island going for $24? Or the Louisiana Purchase for less than thirty cents an acre? You would be wise to think twice if someone offers to sell you the Golden Gate Bridge for only $50, for it’s not likely they have a clear title to that piece of prime property! We have come to realize that when we are given a “too good to be true” opportunity—it usually is.
There is an element among us that knows their easiest “mark” is someone who is looking to cheat someone else, Proverbs 20:14.
Biblically, we think of Esau as making a bad trade. Genesis 25:34 says he “despised his birthright” by trading it for a bowl of “pottage,” meaning he looked on his birthright with contempt.
Jesus discussed this principle:
“What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26.
It is likely that we often make a “trade” without realizing we have done so, but our daily choice-making habits are usually a form of trading. We exchange our time, skill, energy or money for some item/feeling we think is worthwhile. We may laugh at Esau’s “trade,” but we may also be trading good for bad, valuable for worthless. How about the following “trades”?
Trade Children For More Money?
Would you knowingly trade your children or their eternal destiny for any amount of money? Is that extra dollar really more valuable than time with your children?
Trade Character For Big Bucks?
Businessmen and women find themselves faced with this choice by the very nature of the business world. Several have told me that to stay in business and be competitive there is the constant temptation to pad the expense account, bend the rules of quality, or substitute poor workmanship to elevate the profit on a job. That’s one way we trade our soul for a “bowl of pottage.”
Trade Purity For Pleasure?
Fleshly temptations are most powerful, and Satan does not hesitate to use the “lusts of the flesh” to tempt even the most devout people. Even you and me! Are you willing to risk the devastation of your family, your self-respect or your influence among your peers for a momentary carnal pleasure, Genesis 39:9? Eternity should have a powerful impact on all our choices today!
Trade Lost Souls For “Things”?
Are we willing to sacrifice the souls of lost people for a new car, clothes or a hobby? Jesus told us:
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that does not believe shall be damned,” Mark 16:15-16.
However, we will have trouble seeing the real needs of the lost because of our desire to have “things.” Is that a trade worthy of a Christian’s commitment?
Trade Morals For Popularity?
Young or old, we are in a battle with our own conscience when faced with the pressures of a modern culture. Guys are told, either by words or by innuendo, that you’re not a “man” until you have had sex. Girls are similarly told, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” Modesty and morality are too often willingly exchanged for acceptance and popularity. Which way will we take—the road leading to life, or to destruction? Jesus revealed the folly of the wrong choice in Matthew 7:13-29.
What would you give in exchange for your soul? What would you give in exchange for the souls of your friends, family, neighbors or classmates? It is a choice we all must make. It’s no “bargain” if we put our eternal destiny at risk. Is an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning worth being biblically weak? Is fishing, golf or a ball game more important to you than Bible study?
Be honest with yourself. It’s NO “BARGAIN” to trade heaven for hell. Don’t trade away your soul.
