Football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning means you're willing to go longer, work harder, and give more than anyone else.” That's so true. To be a winner you must make a commitment to sticking with a task and following through with it. We all want to be winners, but many things, including the many temptations to make bad choices, stand in our way. Those choices often keep potential winners on the sidelines.

Life is full of trade-offs. The bad choices you make today are the down payments on your problems tomorrow. It's all a part of living under God's law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:8).

What are some examples of bad trade-offs? In sports it could be not giving your best effort in practice, fooling around instead of working to improve. In the classroom it could be not doing the homework and then cheating on a test. In life it could mean rejecting God's mercy so that you can enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.

What temptation are you facing today? Remember, temptation itself is not a bad thing, but our giving in to it is. Don't cave in! Take those temptations to Jesus and obey His commands. Never exchange fellowship with Him for anything. Instead, guarantee yourself a good trade-off by choosing to walk in His ways. You won't regret it.