In 1947, an object crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. Eyewitness accounts led to speculation that it might have been an alien spacecraft.

Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wilmot were sitting on their front porch enjoying the summer evening when they spotted a large glowing object that zoomed through the sky. The object moved so fast that they ran into the yard for a better look. Mr. Wilmot described what he saw as “oval in shape like two inverted saucers.” He said that “the entire body glowed as though light were showing through from inside.” He estimated that it was about 1,500 feet up in the sky and going at a rate of 400 to 500 miles per hour.

At first Wilmot, a respected and reliable citizen in town, kept the story to himself hoping that others would come forward with the same story. When he finally disclosed what he and his wife had seen, the Roswell Army Air Field announced that it, in fact, had possession of a flying disk. However, a day later the RAAF announced that the object was actually a harmless high-altitude weather balloon. Mystery solved. Or was it?

Speculation continues even today about what actually landed that night on July 2. Many believe that it was an UFO and that there are aliens living somewhere in space.

Whether you believe that or not, the truth is that there are aliens living on this planet. In fact, there probably are aliens living in your neighborhood or attending your school.  God’s Word tells us that an alien is anyone who doesn’t know Jesus. At one time, we were all aliens until we learned about Jesus. That’s important to remember. We shouldn’t treat those who don’t know Jesus like they came from another planet, but we should care enough about them to help them know him too!

Remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12, NRSV).

To Do

Think about the “aliens” that you know. How can you help them meet Jesus?

Also on this day . . .

1937—Aviator Amelia Earhart disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean.

1986—Lindsay Lohan was born.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005).