In the winter of 2009, a large passenger plane made an emergency landing in New Yorkâs Hudson River. The pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who landed the plane safely with no casualties, was later asked about those moments in the air when he was faced with a life-or-death decision. âOne way of looking at this,â he said, âmight be that for 42 years Iâve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education, and training. And on [that day] the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.â
Most of us will at some time face a crisis. Perhaps it will be a job termination or the results of a medical test, or the loss of a precious family member or friend. It is in those times that we must dig down deep into the reserves of our spiritual bank account.
And what might we find there? If we have enjoyed a deepening relationship with God, weâve been making regular âdepositsâ of faith. We have experienced His grace (2 Cor. 8:9; Eph. 2:4-7). We trust the promise of Scripture that God is just and faithful (Deut. 32:4; 2 Thess. 3:3).
Godâs love and grace are available when His children need to make a âwithdrawalâ (Ps. 9:10; Heb. 4:16).
In todayâs text Paul reminds the believers in the church at Ephesus that their salvation is wholly Godâs doingâafter all, dead things (v. 5) canât do anything to change their situation. But Paul doesnât stop with the reminder that it is God who makes us alive. He adds that the goal of that gracious action is to show the incomparable riches of Godâs grace. God saves us to show us who He is.