MORNING MANNA 1-30-24
NO FEAR OF DEATH
“ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”- Phil.1:21
The Story of Eddie Rickenbacker is one of the most inspiring autobiographies you might ever read . He first became famous as a race car driver and set the world speed record of 134 mph in 1910. When World War I broke out, he became a fighter pilot. He was called the Ace of Aces for shooting down 24 German planes and received the Medal of Honor. Later he became the President of Eastern Airlines.
In 1941 he was a passenger on an Eastern Airlines DC-3 when it crashed outside Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the passengers were killed and he was terribly injured. He was pinned under the wreckage all through the night. As rescuers arrived, he directed them to others before he allowed them to remove him. He had serious wounds including a crushed hip, a dented skull, a crushed elbow, and a broken knee. He had many internal injuries. While in the hospital, he suffered a massive hemorrhage and almost died. In fact, some newspapers reported his death with front page headlines.
But Eddie didn’t die. He was a professing Christian with a strong faith. As he lingered between life and death he had an experience that changed his life and deepened his faith.
In his autobiography he described the experience of being near death. He wrote, “I began to die. I felt the presence of death and I knew that I was going. You may have heard that dying is unpleasant, but don’t you believe it. Dying is the sweetest, tenderest, most wonderful sensation I have ever had. Death comes disguised as a sympathetic friend. All was serene and calm. How wonderful it would be to simply float out of the world. It is easy to die. You have to fight to live.” (Rickenbacker an Autobiography, Prentice Hall)
Rickenbacker was more than “a fighter”. He was a man of faith who was confident that God had a plan for his life. After spending five months in the hospital. He would slump and walk with a limp for the rest of his life. He later said, “God saved me to serve Him.” And God gave him another 32 years of life. But after that experience, he said he was never afraid to die. And if you know Christ as your Savior, you don’t have to fear death either. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Cor. 5:8. – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, Tx
