DECEMBER 9, 2015
Just the Ticket
In
him we have . . . the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of
God’s grace. — Ephesians 1:7
Read:
Ephesians
1:1-10
When a police officer stopped a woman because
her young daughter was riding in a car without the required booster seat, he
could have written her a ticket for a traffic violation. Instead, he asked the
mother and daughter to meet him at a nearby store where he personally paid for
the needed car seat. The mother was going through a difficult time and could
not afford to buy a seat.
Although the woman should have received a fine
for her misdemeanor, she walked away with a gift instead. Anyone who knows
Christ has experienced something similar. All of us deserve a penalty for breaking
God’s laws (Eccl. 7:20). Yet, because of Jesus, we experience undeserved favor
from God. This favor excuses us from the ultimate consequence for our sin,
which is death and eternal separation from God (Rom. 6:23). “In [Jesus] we have
. . . the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”
(Eph. 1:7).
Some refer to grace as “love in action.” When
the young mother experienced this, she later remarked, “I will be forever
grateful! . . . And as soon as I can afford it I will be paying it forward.”
This grateful and big-hearted response to the officer’s gift is an inspiring
example for those of us who have received the gift of God’s grace!
Dear Father, thank You for giving us what we
don’t deserve. You have forgiven my sins and provided a way for me to be
reconciled to You through the gift of Your Son. Help me to always be grateful
for Your grace.
God’s gift is grace.
INSIGHT:
The city of Ephesus was “the capital of . . .
the western part of Asia Minor. It was colonized principally from Athens. In
the time of the Romans it bore the title of ‘the first and greatest metropolis
of Asia.’ It was distinguished for the Temple of Diana, who there had her chief
shrine; and for its theatre, which was the largest in the world, capable of
containing 50,000 spectators. It was, like all ancient theatres, open to the
sky. Here were exhibited the fights of wild beasts and of men with beasts (1
Cor. 4:9; 9:24, 25; 15:32). Many Jews took up their residence in this city, and
here the seeds of the gospel were sown immediately after Pentecost (Acts 2:9;
6:9).”
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015
