It was the time of year when bears wake up from their long winter’s sleep, and they wake up hungry. They often make their way down the mountains to lower areas, looking for food. The only problem is that homes have been built and communities have been developed on land that was once wild and fit for bears and other wildlife. When bears wander into neighborhoods, they run into trouble.
A black bear wandered down the Olympic Mountains and into the lowlands along the coast of Puget Sound. The bear was seen roaming through a small area of trees near an elementary school. Wildlife authorities were contacted, and they set several traps for the bear. Extra policemen were also on duty to protect the children, but the bear avoided all of them.
For some unknown reason, the bear decided to leave the area. He waded into the salt water of Puget Sound and began swimming. A fishing boat saw a strange object moving through the water, and when they got closer, they saw it was a black bear. Since the bear was swimming towards the Seattle side of Puget Sound, which has far more people living there, they knew the bear was headed towards trouble. Because of the bear’s choosing to travel, the wildlife authorities named him “Columbus.” They knew they had to do something about this bear before someone got hurt.
After the bear reached the distant shore, he continued traveling by land. Averaging two miles a day for several days, he traveled close to towns that form the suburbs of Seattle.
It’s a bear’s nature to wander. That’s how God made them so they can find food. But that isn’t how God made you and me. He has provided us with the intelligence to know our Creator and to be able to read and understand His Word, the Bible. We learn from His Word that we are sinners. But we don’t have to wander here and there trying to find a way to get free from our sins, because in His great love for sinners He has provided a Saviour.
As Columbus the bear traveled in his search for food, the wildlife authorities finally caught up with him when he wandered into the 600-acre Weyerhaeuser Complex. A watchman saw the bear ambling through the parking lot. People inside were told not to leave the buildings, and several traps were set for the bear. At one trap, a dozen muffins were piled in a heap, and the fresh-baked aroma soon caught the attention of Columbus. A forest ranger with a tranquilizer gun hid in nearby bushes. As Columbus was about to devour the muffins, a dart struck the bear, and within seconds he toppled over sound asleep.
One of the forest rangers checked over the bear and decided he was healthy enough to move to another location. He was placed in a cage and carried to the back of a truck. They drove him many miles away into the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. He was dropped off in a spot where there was plenty of food that bears like to eat and where very few people live. Columbus should do just fine in his new home.
Not every bear that wanders into areas close to people comes out alive. At nearly the same time, two bears in a nearby county were destroyed. A car traveling down a highway struck one. The bear was killed and the car was damaged beyond repair.
Another bear had climbed a tree close to a neighborhood where many families lived. A police officer was stationed nearby to watch the treed bear. When the bear came down, if he headed in the direction of the neighborhood, the officer had orders to shoot the bear, but if he headed in the direction of the mountains, the officer was to let him go unharmed. However, when the bear climbed down, he headed in the direction of the homes. Because human lives were endangered, the bear had to be destroyed.
That bear turned the wrong way, and whether we spend eternity in heaven or hell depends on which way we turn. People who realize their sinfulness and turn to the Lord Jesus will be saved. They will spend eternity with Him in heaven where the joy will never end. However, people who never see their need of the Saviour will perish in their sins. What does it mean to perish? It means to
Pass
Eternally
Ruined
Into
Satan’s
Hell.
God has given you and me one lifetime to decide for Christ. No one knows for certain how long that lifetime will be. The wise decision is to accept Him right now. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)). He doesn’t want us to wander endlessly through life without Him, trying what the world offers in an attempt to forget our sins and fill our hearts.
God made us that we might know, love and obey Him. He knows our every need, and our greatest need is to be saved from our sins. This Bible verse tells us how God made this possible: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). Only through Jesus Christ can sinners return to God the Father and find a home in His love. You can travel the world, but you will never find rest and peace until you come to Jesus Christ. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)).
ML-11/25/2007