Session 23

How to be on the upside of every exchange

From Matthew: A 28-Day Devotional

When you take a trip to another county, you can’t buy anything without the correct currency. To get the right money, you visit an exchange booth and trade your money for that country's currency according to the exchange rate. Sometimes, you receive more than you gave, and sometimes you get less.

In Matthew 26, we find two instances of people making an exchange. The first is a woman who interrupts a gathering to pour an expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus. We find out the price of the perfume was equivalent to one year's income. This woman was willing to give up a year’s pay for the opportunity to worship at Jesus’ feet. The second exchange is made by one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Judas. Judas was willing to betray Jesus for 30 silver coins.

In these stories, Matthew shows us that one person sacrificed something in life for Jesus while another person sacrificed Jesus for something in life. We have the same choice to make today in our lives. Each day we have the decision to either worship Jesus or betray Him. We can either sacrifice our lives for Jesus, or we can sacrifice Jesus for our lives.

Reflect:

• What is one thing you are tempted to exchange for the full life Jesus promises?
• Do you think we get more or less than we give when we follow Jesus?