DEVOTION / Bird, Plane… Guy in a Bulldozer?
Growing up as a kid, pretty much everyone knew the familiar refrain: “it’s a bird! It’s a plane! …No, it’s Superman!”
Those were the words that introduced the next thrilling tale of the famed comic book hero: the Man of Steel! He always showed up – just in the nick of time – to save the day.
Bulldozer Hero
Maybe you caught the viral sensation last August of the Chinese construction worker who saved the day for many families caught in torrential rains. He came to the rescue with his bulldozer. The news accounts say it rained for 147 straight hours outside of Beijing. His friend called him to rescue elderly relatives trapped by the floodwaters. He came to their aid and snatched family after family out of danger. Working all day long, he saved over 100 victims. Soaked and exhausted, he became known as the “Bulldozer Hero.”
The story of the Bulldozer Hero is easy to applaud. What a great example of selfless valor in the face of difficult circumstances! He certainly was a physical savior for those desperate people facing almost certain death.
Jesus – Our Hero
That story reminds us of an even greater hero who didn’t need a bulldozer. His tool of rescue was a cross. Every human being in the world faced certain death because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a) and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Yet in our stead, Jesus sacrificed himself and took our punishment. In the words of 1 Peter 2:24, He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness – by his wounds we are healed!
Our Seeking Savior
The Bulldozer Hero was human. He had to be called to the scene. Jesus, our Savior, knew the need before the call ever went out. His saving work is the subject of the entire Bible. From the first pages of Genesis, we read of the loving God who created this world, and when sin destroyed that perfect paradise, his rescue plan came to the aid of us all. Jesus’ very name reminds us that he came to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Luke 19:10 reinforces that theme: For the Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and to save the lost.
Prayer: 316NOW shares the saving news of Jesus’ rescue mission. Loving Savior, we see all around us that lives need saving. Keep our eyes open to their great need! Give us the words and courage – through your Holy Spirit – to sound the alarm and to be your hands and feet to lead others to your saving arms.
by Dave Payne