Faith Forum ~ Spiritual Bartering By Gloria Wessner

In the ”old days,” especially before printed money was commonplace, bartering was the backbone of everyday life. A person would have the goods that someone wanted in exchange for perhaps some work to be done; resulting in negotiating a transaction where both parties felt they received a good and fair deal.
What an exchange Jesus offers to us! If the above description were followed when it came to trading our life for his - we more than get the better end of the deal. He offers me his perfect love, care, goodness, patience and joy in exchange for my broken life, messed up plans and relationships, broken promises, lies and unfulfilled dreams. He even died a cruel death by choice, for me, in order to be able to offer me that trade.
“He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.” (Titus 2:14 The Message)
As far as God is concerned, he doesn't feel he gets the worse end of the trade. In the first place he created us, so we know he valued us right from the beginning. (Psalm 139 says “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous how well I know it.” verses 13 and 14 NLT) Secondly, he died for us because sin or selfishness entered the world (through Adam and Eve disobeying God), so we needed a way back to Him, as shown by his death and then coming back to life again. So there again he shows how much he values us. “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us...” (1 John 3:16a NLT)
It's shown clearly from his words that he wants us to have his life. If we make the exchange of my life for his, Psalm 18 says “…he delights in me.” (vs. 19b)
You may want to consider exchanging your broken life for his perfect one - I would encourage you to write me at: gloriawes@hotmail.com with any discussion you'd like to have.