Trading Places, Freaky Friday, & the Simple, Splended Truth

                We’ve all seen the comical films where two people switch places.  It normally involves some sort of supernatural intervention or curse in which two spirits get swapped into each other’s bodies.  My personal favorite as a child was the film, Freaky Friday.  There was a remake when my daughter was younger and we both enjoyed watching it together.  We had the fun conversations of “what if” we swapped for a day or two. As a child I dreamed how amazing it would be to have all the privileges of an adult: driving, money, choices.  As an adult I dream about the one day of no worries and an overabundance of energy.  It is particularly funny watching the movies and laughing at how the switched people are so unfamiliar with their surroundings and people are a little confused at why the characters are acting strange.  I didn’t realize it at the time of watching the films and maybe you have never realized it, but this has really happened.  There was a freaky Friday, but it didn’t involve a mom and daughter.  It involved you and the creator of the universe.

You are probably familiar with the Easter story and the traditional Good Friday celebrations, but did you know that those traditions may have been masking one of the most amazing trading places stories of all time? 

You traded places.  Jesus traded places.

Follow me for a moment and read 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

While you might be thinking: "This is sacrilege,I am not Jesus!" Hold on.  On the Friday Jesus died on the cross, He took all the penalty from God for sin.  It was poured out onto Him.  You are now able to ask forgiveness, accept what Jesus did on your behalf and BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM!

That is AMAZING!

Let that sink in.  If you accept Christ as the sacrifice for your sin, when God looks at you, He sees righteousness. Not just any righteousness, BUT the righteousness of God in Jesus! 

So here is your trading places story.  Once you receive Christ as personal Savior, people will begin to wonder what is going on with you because you will begin acting differently than before.  Your desires will begin to change.  Your reaction to return evil for evil or insult for insult will become a desire to show the unrestrained love of God.  2 Corinthians also tells us that we are controlled by the love of Christ and that we are to be the fragrance of God to the world.  We are to be freaky compared to the cursed standards of this world. 

If you are wanting something more, something different in life, it has already happened.  On a Friday over 2000 years ago, Jesus took your place.  He literally swapped places with you spiritually.  You just need to ask for the gift of forgiveness and when you stand before God, He will not see all the sin that caused you guilt, He will see the righteousness of Christ.  Jesus paid it all and to make it even better, He arose! He conquered death and He gives you the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide you through life. You are alive in Christ when you accept Him as Savior.

What are you holding onto that has kept you from having your own trading places experience?  Jesus took your place, ask Him and He will gladly allow you to become the righteousness of God in Him.

-Melissa Pyle