The Bear Facts

The Bible says "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise..." But the ant isn't the only animal that can teach us something important. One day I was watching a nature program on the Travel Channel. At first I thought the examination of a bear's jaw to determine its cause of death was rather irrelevant to anything important, but soon discovered a significant lesson.

The narrator explained that a loose tooth in the jaw gave insight into the cause of death. He went on to give the probable scenario. The problem likely began with a cavity and eventual tooth decay resulting in infection. Then there was a loss of appetite which led to weakness and vulnerability. Finally the bear was attacked by an enemy and faced death.

Immediately, the parallel to our spiritual condition became evident. Sin captures us in much the same way. It begins small and leads to spreading infection. If not stopped we become careless in our spiritual diet and weak in our faith. At that point we are vulnerable to the attack of our enemy and the object of his destruction. We must be alert to the entrance of sin in our lives, confess it, and help others to see and do the same.