“Leonard, my boy, do you know if all your- sins not. forgiven?"
"Yes, teacher-, I am quite sure of that."
"When did you first know that?" "When the bee stung mother, sir."
"That's a strange answer! Tell me what you mean."
All the Sunday school class listened carefully while Leonard told the story of his mother and the bee. It seems that Leonard's dear mother had often told him of how Jesus had suffered and died for sinners, but Leonard never really trusted Jesus as his own Saviour. One day while Leonard was playing in the sunny back garden, an angry buzzing bee came and flew round and round his head, He tried to fight it off but it buzzed louder and fiercer till poor Leonard ran crying into the kitchen where his mother was baking pies. He ducked under her long while apron as quick as a wink, for the bee was close behind. In a moment the bee landed on his mother's arm and drove in its painful sting.
"Come on out, Leonard," she called. "I want to show you something."
Leonard slowly peeked out and looked at his mother's arm, There was a swollen red spot, and there was the exhausted bee crawling slowly down her arm.
"See, my boy, the bee has left its sting in my arm, and it cannot sting you now. And I want you to learn a lesson from what has happened. I suffered the pain for you, and now you are safe. Isn't that a little bit like Jesus, who bore. the sting of death for me? Let us repeat a verse together:
"Right there," said Leonard to the teacher, "I saw that Jesus had died for me, and I knew my sins were gone."
Could you, dear boy or girl, answer as clearly if you were asked, "Are your sins all forgiven?"
Messages of the Love of God 6/1/1952