The parable of the Bicycle.

I read a book a while back called "Believing Christ." The main idea of the book is: since we are active members of the only true church of Christ, we obviously believe in Christ. But how many of us actually believe Christ when he says "though your sins be as scarlet they can be as white as wool." The book talks about how sometimes people think that "Christ really can't help me, what I have done is to awful." Well it easy sometimes to think that, but in that case you would calling Christ a liar. Do we actually believe Christ.

Anyway, in the book the author tells a story, he calls the parable of the bicycle. It is about a period of time that his family was having finacial trouble. His 6 year old daughter wanted a bicyle, because all the other kids in the nieghborhood had one. So when she asked him if she could get a bike he said "If you save all your pennies, one day you will have enough money to buy a bicycle." He said that to get her of his back. But then he noticed that she was doing more chores for money and was saving every last penny. Well when he saw that, he reliazed that by the time she could save enough money she would want to buy a car.

So he went and talked to her about getting a bike and they decided to looking at bikes. They walk into a store and soon she found one bike she loved, he describes it as " her and this bike were made for each other." So she ran to the bike, jumped on seat, and was ready to ride it out of the store right then. But then she noticed the price tag hanging off the handle bars. Then she got real depressed, her father came and looked at the price tag and it was over a hundred dollars. He asked her how much money she had saved, she responded $3.78. When you are talking a hundred dollars a lousy $3.78 dosen't make that much of a difference.

The Father loved his daughter and wanted her to be happy so he told her "I will make you a deal, you give me the whole $3.78 you have, give me a hug and kiss and that bike is yours." well that girl is not stupid so of course she did it.

He likens this to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. All of us want something really badly, eternal life. Well just like the father in the story, our father told us as long as we fallow all of his commandments we can obtain it. He knows that though we may try as hard as we can we can not live up to that expectation. So he sent his Son to pay for the sins of the world. And through Christ we can obrtain eternally life, but he does ask for something in return. He ask for the same things that the father in the story asked. He asks that we give our all, which will add up to if we are lucky to about $3.78. He also asks for that we make our relationship with him a personal relationship, come to him in prayer always, make him a big part of your life. That is a small price to pay for eternal life, the question is are we going to be like the child and do it imediately or will we, stupid and refuse such an offer.

How gateful I am this Christmas season, that Christ has preformed the atonment, even though he did not have any obligation to do so, he would have been saved if he would have preformed it or not. How greatful I am that I can go to him in prayer. And that his arms of mercy will always be extended towards me.