The raccoon was on the prowl. Her hunting instincts sent her out into the night, and the dark mask around her eyes represented her hunting habits - robbing birds’ nests of eggs and even the young birds, as well as capturing other small creatures and raiding garbage cans.
This raccoon was not hunting for food on this particular night. She was looking for a place to make her own nest where she could raise a family of three or four kits. The natural home for raccoons is in the woods in a hollow log or tree or an empty den in rocky ground or under ledges. But as man continues to clear woodlands for building housing developments, the raccoons are forced to find other - and sometimes dangerous-places for their homes. Some climb down chimneys and use the smoke shelves of wood-burning fireplaces. The raccoons would not know that a hot, wood fire will kill their young when they build their nests in such places. And often homeowners build fires in their fireplaces, not knowing that raccoon babies are inside their chimneys.
These raccoons are like parents who carelessly expose their children to the dangers of Satan and his schemes. The Bible warns: “Enter not in the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away” (Proverbs 4:1415).
One night we heard a noise in our fireplace. I said something to my neighbor about it, and he told me I probably had his raccoon. They had heard noises in their living room fireplace, so they hired a chimney sweep to chase out the raccoon and then place a cap on the top of the chimney to keep them out.
I didn’t want the raccoon to set up housekeeping in my fireplace either. I waited until after dark when I knew she would be out hunting, and then I put a cap on the top of my chimney. We have not been bothered with raccoons in the chimney since then.
Boys and girls, are you aware of the hidden dangers in this evil world? Satan, who is the evil prince of this world, will tempt you to play with fire as the raccoon does. He is the enemy of your souls and would lead you into a life of sin and eventually into an eternity in the lake of fire when your life here on earth is over.
The Bible warns us: “There is a way which [seems] right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). But we have a faithful, loving God who tells us to “seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:67). And in His offer of mercy He assures us, “The Lord . . . is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). That is why in His great love for us He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, down to this earth to become a man, go to the cross and die. It was on that cross that God punished His beloved Son for every sin of every person who would trust in Him for their soul’s salvation. The work is complete. All you have to do is come to Christ and believe. Won’t you do that right now?
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
ML-08/03/2003