God is the initiator of Salvation - Ephesians 1-3

Imagine what would happen in today's business world if Bill Gates tried to take credit for the iPhone or iPad or iWhatever. Although the rest of the world knows that Bill Gates is wealthy and the producer of some of his own great "inventions" I think Steve Jobs and the creators at Apple would be indignant and get rather legalistic if Gates tried to claim even a small portion of ownership in the creation and production of these nationally adopted products. Most of the world would agree with them. Bill Gates, smart and creative as he may be, didn't have anything to do with these technology tools. Imagine, what God must think, however, when we see man after man try to claim some aspect of his own personal salvation? When you read these three chapters of Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus you can't help but see that God is not only the provider of our salvation, but chapter one expressly tells us He and He alone, was the initiator of it. When I have long talks with my believer friends who want to take some responsibility in regard to "being saved" by their own will, own choice or own initiative (no matter how small), I simply ask them if they have ever studied Ephesians 1-3, or would like to study it. You can't read it or study it and not walk away without an express understanding that God created, initiated and provided salvation to us because (according to chapter 3) we would never even think of it or be able to make it happen on our own. Bill Gates couldn't get away with claiming he made the iPhone - we can't and won't get away with claiming we had something to do with our own salvation. It is truly and completely by God's grace (Eph. 2:8-10).