A Comparison Of Motorbike Driving And The Christian Life

"...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,  perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.  For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:5-11

Years ago I took a motorcycle course at a local college.  When I signed up, I thought it was going to be great zooming around a course with one of their bikes.  Then, get a certificate saying I had completed the course and to get lower insurance premiums.

I did get a certificate, and I did get lower insurance premiums, but the course was much more difficult than I thought.  On the first day, which was four hours on a Friday evening, we spent the whole time in a classroom learning the 'theory' of motorcycle safety and intensely going over the rules of the road.  The next day there was the written test that I had to pass before I was able to move on to the next level.  Once there, I was allowed to choose 'my' motorbike but they didn't give me the key to start it.  I chose a white sport bike (Yamaha GPZ 350) that just looked like it wanted to race, I was in love.

For the rest of the morning we were told to sit on them and wait for a signal so we could one at a time coast them down a slight hill and stop them perfectly on a stop line.  The whole rest of the afternoon and evening they instructed us gradually through the steps of driving a motorbike. Some were better at handling corners or changing gears than others, but the instructors were patient and work with each of us, moving us to the next level as a group.

It wasn't until the following day, late in the afternoon that we were given the road exam.  Then we were awarded our certificates, badges and graduation pins.  It wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be but, I'm thankful for each deliberate step that they took us through.   It not only made me a safe motorcycle driver, it also made me a safer automobile driver.

Peter is instructing us through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to add to our faith: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.   Just as I had a limited knowledge of how to operate a motorbike, I also have a limited capacity for the qualities listed above.  Just as I needed to add to my driving skills for safety sake, I also need to add to the qualities to live a better, fuller life.  I believe this doesn't just happen, I need to make a deliberate decision each day to exercise these qualities and cause them to grow as they must.

The purpose of doing these things is two fold:

1. that I will not fall as I daily live my life,
2. that I will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.