If you’ve ever traveled to a foreign country, you’ve experienced the anxiety of exchanging your hard earned green-backs for funky looking paper bills that, someone assures you in broken English, have the same purchasing power in their country as your dollars did in the good ole’ U. S. of A. It’s called the rate of exchange and it’s based on the current value of each countries’ currency market.
It’s very confusing when it’s time to pay for something with your new funny-money. Its one thing to understand the rate of exchange, but it’s another thing altogether to know how the new money compares to dollars and cents. “Let’s see… is a Euro an ‘almost dollar’ or is it more like a buck fifty? If I purchase this beer stein for thirty five Euros, have I spent around thirty five dollars or three hundred and fifty dollars?” Inevitably, I find myself at the mercy of the merchant to return the appropriate change.
Marilyn and I have visited Haiti regularly and have discovered the Haitians are eager to accept our money without exchanging currency. You see, Haitian money is only worth pennies on the dollar, and so when we purchase items for a few bucks it translates into as much as eight to ten dollars Haitian. The rate of exchange made even more gratifying to be generous to the Haitians because you knew $1,000 would translate into over $7,000 Haitian, and make a tremendous impact on the rebuilding of a school or providing lunch for Haitian children.
I often reflect on the rate of exchange that came into play when Jesus Christ exchanged His life on the cross for my life in eternity. Compared to Jesus’ worth, well…my value eternally is zip…nada…no value; it doesn’t even tip the scale of Heaven’s currency market.
“Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do,
we are all purified from sin by the offering that he made
of his own body once and for all.”
Hebrews 10:10
God’s old faithful prophet, Isaiah, reflecting on the heavenly rate of exchange said,
“All of us have been sinful;
even our best actions are filthy through and through.
Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither
and are blown away by the wind.”
Isaiah 64:6
It’s easy to overlook the incredible price God has paid for our salvation. He so valued each of us that He was willing to offer His one and only Son in exchange for our eternal relationship with Him. When the Father offers us the grace of salvation, it comes only after a lop-sided and excruciatingly expensive exchange of Jesus Christ’s precious life blood. Salvation is freely offered because an extraordinary eternal exchange has taken place!
I hope this touches something deep inside you, as it does me. Take a moment and genuinely thank Him for the incredible gift of salvation. He loves us so much He was willing to exchange the most precious commodity He had to allow us to come along with Him on this eternal adventure.
Lord, I can’t express how grateful I am for the sacrifice You made to be in relationship with me; that You would exchange your life for mine empowers me to serve You wholeheartedly.