“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles,– if so be that ye have heard of the dispensation of that grace of God which was given me to you-ward; how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;” Ephesians 3:1-4 (ASV)
To say that I’ve had memory issues over the last 7 months would be an understatement. The day-to-day activities became day-to-day challenges. Luckily, when I was working, I was so organized in my responsibilities that the deficiency wasn’t as noticeable. At home, not so much.
Just this last week I was shocked to receive alerts from my bank that I had overdrawn my account, something that has not happened in so many years that I can’t recall the last time it happened. I have always been very diligent in making sure that I had enough in the account to make it through the month, not with a wide margin, but a safe one.
When I checked with the bank it was clear what I had done . . . . eeerrr, not done. I had paid 2 medical bills that I forgot to log into my register. Goodness. I was so frustrated with myself and my memory issues. On top of the checks, the bank charged an overdraft fee (adding insult to injury!). I was beside myself. I knew that I could not cover these expenses.
I called the bank and explained the problem. I had sent my son to the bank with what cash I had, it covered the overage, but not the bank fee. I asked the bank if there was any way to waive the fee since I had a deposit in prior to the overdraft charge going against my account. They said they would talk it over and call me back. It was now in the hands of the bank. I said a prayer.
A few hours later I received a call from the bank. Grace! They had given me a one-time waiver for the bank fee. I had received grace at the hands of strangers. I didn’t deserve it, I made the error, it was completely my fault.
Grace. If the bank had not honored my request my account would have gathered additional charges every day for another 6 days. My banking account would have been seriously jeopardized and I likely would not have been able to meet all of my obligations the following month. Grace.
God’s grace makes this wonderful event pale by example. God’s grace covers the sins of a murderer, at the moment of repentance, forgiving the horrendous and accepting the person into eternal life. God’s grace forgives the sins of a nation that has forsaken Him, when only a handful stand in repentance for their land, protecting them against the attacks of the enemy.
God’s grace took ALL people, Jew and Gentile, and made them equal in His eyes, by their acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ – the great “Mystery.” Such a simple concept. Grace. How can we ever thank Him enough?
** A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 3, Part 1
Written by Linda J. Humes
10-25-2015
Linda J. Humes 
Leave a comment