READ: Ephesians 1:7-10

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us."

Let's pull this apart. "Forgiveness of sins" is the central theme. It is the tangible outcome that changes our lives.  "Redemption through His blood" is the process by which we come to be forgiven of our sins.  Then we see this incredible phrase:

"according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us"

Imagine going to the grocery store, picking out a few items for dinner and swiping your credit card.  Dinner is the tangible outcome.  The grocery store is the processs by which you are able to get the food,  but the purchase is only possible because the bank verified you have money available in your account at the time your credit card was swiped. 

Now imagine that horrible scenario where the credit card machine says "insufficient funds".  The embarrassment!  Surely this is a mistake. I know I have money in the account.  

Then, a stranger behind you says "let me take care of this".  He swipes his card, and the transation goes through. You still get the dinner.  It's still food from the store. The difference is, the funds are drawn against an account that isn't yours.  In a sense... grace.

When you confessed your sin before Jesus, your sins were forgiven.  The redemption came by way of His shed blood (more fully, His death, burial and resurrection according to the Scriptures).  And because of what Jesus has done, every time you come before the throne of Grace for that transaction, funds will always be avaiable (1 John 1:9). This is because you are not drawing on your own account. You are drawing against the "riches of His grace". 

But, wait, there's more.

The bank analogy is kind of broken. It assumes the "riches of His grace" are just sitting there waiting to be used. But that's not what the text infers. It says "the riches of His grace, ABOUNDING TOWARD US." 

In "The Fellowship of the Ring", there was a scene where Frodo had been pierced by the evil sword of a Ringwraith.  He was near death, but being carried to safety over the Ford of Bruinen with the Ringwraiths in hot pursuit.  Just when it appears the Wraiths will catch up and all will be lost, the waters of the river rise up and "ABOUND" toward them. In a way, these waters become cleansing and saving waters for Frodo, and on the other hand, the Ringwraiths are completely consumed and washed away.

Imagine the waters of God's grace (maybe more like an ocean than a river) rising up, abounding toward you and washing your sin completely away.  Isn't it cool that God isn't waiting for you to make a charge against the account of His grace?  In Psalm 23, King David shared similar sentiment when he penned, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life".  

If you belong to Jesus, you can be sure that God is sending the riches of His Grace to find you wherever you might be, and to wash over and totaly consume you.  The riches of His grace are vast.  There is no limit to His account.  The funds were established when the stone was rolled away and it is because of this that God's people can serve him unashamadly and without fear.  Do the will of God today, and although your account may have insufficient funds, the riches of God's grace are abounding toward you, even now.