Throughout history there have been some bad trades in sports. In 1920 the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees so their owner could finance a theatrical play. In 1992 the Atlanta Falcons traded Brett Favre to the Packers for a future first-round draft pick that turned into nothing spectacular. In 1987 the Seattle Supersonics traded Scottie Pippen to the Bulls where he made magic with Michael Jordan. Only later would those teams realize that they’d traded poorly.

When God called Moses up to Mount Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments, the Israelites got impatient waiting for him to return, so they begged and complained to Moses’ brother, Aaron, about their need for a god to lead them. Instead of waiting for the true God, they gathered up their gold, elted it down and made a golden calf to worship. 

Can you believe the Israelites traded God for a cow? That wasn’t a good trade. But while we may judge their actions, are we any different?

How many times do we replace God with our own idols? Sports, relationships, trophies, the perfect body—all of these can be idols we use to trade away God. Only when they fail us do we realize what we’ve done. Because unlike God, all of these things will eventually disappoint us, and none of them will meet our needs like He can.

So today, don’t make a bad trade by choosing an idol over your Savior. Remember the very command God gave to His people and have no other gods before Him.