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 Godâs 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). âIn [Jesus] we have . . . the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of Godâs graceâ (Eph. 1:7).
Some refer to grace as âlove in action.â When the young mother experienced this, she later remarked, âI will be forever grateful! . . . And as soon as I can afford it I will be paying it forward.â This grateful and big-hearted response to the officerâs gift is an inspiring example for those of us who have received the gift of Godâs grace!
The city of Ephesus was âthe 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 âthe first and greatest metropolis of Asia.â 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).â