One Savior

TITLE: One Savior
DATE:  September 12, 2019
TEXT: Acts 4:12 – ESV- 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[a] by which we must be saved.”

My professional pilot friends tell me that flight simulators are a great invention.

Having a computer create or reproduce a bad mechanical or weather situation can be invaluable in helping the pilot of a ship learn what to do to avoid catastrophe.

At least that is the way it is supposed to work. Unfortunately when pilots are asked to deal with the mechanical failures encountered on United Airlines Flight 232 on July 19, 1989, they have a problem. The problem is the flight simulator says they will all crash and  will die. The bottom line is  that flight was a no-win situation.

You can understand why that would be.

Flight 232 first encountered problems about 75 miles north of Des Moines when the engine located in the tail of their plane malfunctioned. Shrapnel from the engine cut many of the hydraulic hoses in the tail and thereby severely reduced the crews ability to fly the plane.

According to the flight simulator’s reconstruction a crash was inevitable.

According to the flight simulator’s reconstruction the crash was not survivable.

Which is a good thing that Captain Al Haynes, and his crew, never tried that program. Nobody told them they were going to die… so they didn’t. They played all kinds of tricks to keep the plane in the air so they could make it back to Sioux City’s Gateway Airport. Yes, they made it back… but when they landed the right wing broke off the plane

Watching that giant fireball spin down the runway, you can understand why the flight simulator was sure nobody on that plane could escape death. Amazingly, while 112 people did die on that flight, almost 200 lived.

Captain Al Haynes was credited as the man who managed to pull victory out of the jaws of certain death. True, he passed the credit on to his crew members, but everybody knew, on July 19, 1989, Captain Al was the man who had defeated death; he was the savior of almost 200 people.

Well, that last statement is untrue… and Captain Al would be the one who would be first to tell you: he didn’t defeat death; he just cheated the grim reaper. Captain Al’s funeral a few weeks ago shows that in 1989 he did a wonderful thing, almost a miraculous thing, but it wasn’t a permanent thing.

And in regard to him being a savior… well Captain Al had done some pretty spectacular stuff, but he would be quick to point out that there are some serious differences between what he had done and what Jesus did. He would share:

1. He had the support of everyone around him; Jesus was surrounded by hatred.
2. For the people on his plane to live Captain Al had to survive; for Jesus’ followers to live He had to die.
3. Captain Al wasn’t carrying the sins of anybody else; and the future of their immortal souls didn’t depend on his actions.
   

In short, Captain Al might be a savior but only Jesus can be called the Savior.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, the world has seen men and women who have done good things, wonderful things, impressive things but only Jesus has done things which are eternally saving. For my Savior I give thanks. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this address: and the article written by Arden Dier.
The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html