Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Safe Arrival"
Jun. 29, 2018
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
~ John 3:16 (ESV)
The parents of 15-year-old Yahya Abdi are no longer together.
Yahya Abdi's father told his son he is not with the boy's mother because she was killed in a rocket attack, which had been directed against the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Speaking from a refugee camp in Ethiopia, Yahya Abdi's mother says she is not with her husband because they split in 2006.
She also maintains that her husband's reports of her demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Well, when Yahya Abdi found out his mother was alive, he was seized by an overwhelming desire to return to his home country and see her. Yahya Abdi's father, speaking from a more practical and sensible position, says they can't go back because of "present living conditions."
Of course, being what they are, 15-year-old boys are not always practical and, most certainly, they are not always swayed by sensible arguments made by parents. That becomes even more true when one of those parents has been caught in a serious and often-repeated lie.
"An overwhelming desire to return home" explains why Yahya Abdi ended up at the airport in San José, California. He surveyed the planes and realized he could stow himself away in the wheel well of a Boeing 767. Wearing a San Francisco Giants hoodie, he climbed aboard and, approximately five hours later, ended up landing in Hawaii. That's right: Maui, Hawaii.
Now all kinds of things happened after this story first broke in 2014.
The mother of Yahya Abdi filed papers to come to America, so she might reclaim her children whom she says were stolen from her when Yahya Abdi's father came to America. The San José Airport redesigned its security system which had been so easily circumvented by a determined 15-year-old boy. A fair amount of investigation has not revealed whether Yahya Abdi has taken a class on how to read maps or decipher an airplane's designated destination.
Now in all this confusion, there is a lesson to be learned here: that lesson is this: if you want to get to a specific spot, you need to get on the right plane.
Now I know that sounds like a no-brainer and, in many ways, it is. But when it comes to going to heaven, many people seem to think and act like Yahya Abdi. They are of the opinion any religion is going to get them there, which just isn't so. There are a great many religions that are taking their adherents in a completely different -- and wrong -- direction.
Understand, that's not my opinion. These two passages from Scripture say it all:
* John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
* Acts 4:12 - And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Simply stated: if you want to get to heaven, Jesus is the One who can take you there.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I rejoice that You have not only sent Your Son to save me, You have also given me faith in the Redeemer whose life was offered to buy my forgiveness and save my soul. May I be used to help others see that Jesus is the only way to salvation. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Mark Memmott for NPR on April 24, 2014. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/04/24/306417578/stowaway-teens-father-was-shocked-to-hear-son-was-in-hawaii
See also: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2612589/EXCLUSIVE-Pictured-teen-stowed-Hawaiian-jets-wheel-mother-Africa-revealed-boy-discovered-father-lied-died-rocket-attack.html
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
The parents of 15-year-old Yahya Abdi are no longer together.
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