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Richard Lawry author page - Devotionals from a Small Town, 3008 Highway 71 South, Mena, AR (2025)

10/30/2025

Today's devotional, All You Need is Love, examines the famous Beatles lyric. It is Chapter 54 in my book, Devotionals From a Small Town.

I can still remember the summer of 1967. It became known as the Summer of Love, and the song All You Need Is Love by The Beatles was the anthem. Just like other kids from around the world, I loved The Beatles. Recently, when Paul McCartney made his first concert appearance in Arkansas, I was able to be there. Verizon Arena was filled with people like me reliving their past as they listened to Paul.

Is there any truth to the catchphrase "All you need is love?" I believe that it is the truth. "All You Need Is Love – Love is all you need."

In 1 John 4:7,8 (NCV), the Bible tells us, "Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God's child and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Love should be the basis for everything we do. In Matthew 22:36-40 (NLT), Jesus was asked, "What is the most important commandment in the law?" Jesus answered, "' You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.'"

The entire law and all the demands of the prophets – The whole Bible is summed up in these words. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. When you distill it down that much, it seems so simple. It really is true – All You Need Is Love.

The love letter God wrote to you called the Bible says, "I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!" Romans 8:38,39 (CEV)

How would you feel if you wrote these beautiful words to the love of your life and they were ignored? God tells you nothing can separate you from My love for you in Christ Jesus. We will never know all the ways he shows his love to us.

God's Word is His love letter to us. The love of Jesus waits on each page! Don't leave your love letters unopened and unread. God loves you, and he wants to tell you just how much. Open his love letter to you and listen to what he has to say.

The greatest love poem found in the Bible is in John 3:16,17 (NKJV). "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

What beautiful words. We must remember that it is the world that God loves, not a single nation or race, not just the 'good' people, not just those who love God back. God so loved the world. This includes the lovable and the unlovable, those who are popular, those who have no one else to love them, those who love God, and those who never think of God. You are part of this world, and therefore, part of God's love.

In 1 Corinthians 13 (NLT), Paul expresses the importance of love to the Christian, "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing…. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless....All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love."

Gentle Reader, remember that God loves the world - the entire world. He has told us that no matter what we do for Him if we don't have love, it is nothing. True love has the power to transform us, inspire us, and give us hope for a better future. You see, it really is true. "All You Need Is Love" – God's love!

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10/29/2025

Today's devotional, Old Washington, tells about my visit to Historic Washington State Park. It is Chapter 49 in my book Causing a Splash.

Washington, Arkansas, is a peaceful tree-shaded town and one of Arkansas's most notable historic places. The old town, still preserving the charm of the 19th century, with plank-board sidewalks and unpaved streets, is now part of Historic Washington State Park, commonly referred to as Old Washington. This living museum, with over thirty restored historic structures, including the oldest building in Arkansas built of hand-hewn timber, is a testament to the rich history of this place.

From its establishment in 1826, Washington was an essential stop for pioneers traveling to Texas. Frontiersmen James Bowie, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett traveled through Washington on their way to the Alamo. Houston planned parts of the revolt strategy in a tavern in Washington during 1834. James Black, a local blacksmith, is credited with creating the legendary Bowie knife carried by Jim Bowie at his blacksmith shop in Washington.

Following the capture of Little Rock by the Union Army in 1863, the Confederate government moved the state government offices to Hot Springs for a short time, then moved the state government to Washington, making it the Capital of Confederate Arkansas from 1863 to 1865. When the railroad that connected much of the state with Little Rock was built in the late 19th century, it was eight miles from Washington. Washington began a slow decline because it was no longer on the main travel route. Most of the businesses in Washington moved to Hope, Arkansas, which was on the railroad.

In 1958, townspeople formed the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation to preserve the town's old structures. The once thriving community that had served as the capital of Arkansas during the Civil War was now home to less than 300 people. In 1973 the area became an Arkansas State Park. The park contains 54 vintage buildings, 30 of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.

For the past fifty years, the town of Washington has held a Jonquil Festival each spring. My wife and I attended this year's festival. It was a warm sunny day, and the tiny town was crowded with thousands of people. The event included arts and crafts vendors, food, music, and a car and tractor show. Many of the historic homes were open for tours.

Several blacksmiths gave demonstrations at the old blacksmith shop. I enjoyed watching them at work. My wife's grandfather was born in 1855 and was a blacksmith by trade in Stratton, Colorado. Her Dad said you could hear his father's anvil ringing all over town when he was a boy. When the anvil quit ringing, you had better get home. It was time for supper.

As I observed the blacksmith's meticulous work, he transformed a flat steel bar into a knife. He immersed the steel bar into the searing coals until it glowed a fiery red. Then, with precise strikes from his hammer, he shaped the steel on the anvil. This process was repeated numerous times to mold the steel bar into a knife, showcasing the blacksmith's skill.

When a blacksmith works with metal, he can only shape it if he has heated it in the fire. In Isaiah 44:12 (NKJV), the Bible says, "the blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, fashions it with hammers, and works it with the strength of his arms." And in Isaiah 48:10 (NIV), God says, "I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." Have you ever felt like you were being tested in the furnace of affliction? I know I have.

As the blacksmith at Old Washington demonstrated his craft, he plunged the metal he was shaping deep into the blazing coals and pumped the bellows until the coals burst into a dazzling inferno. The metal bar glowed a vibrant orange from the intense heat. He withdrew it from the heat, explaining that the metal needed to be hot enough to be pliable but not so hot that it would melt.

Swinging around to his anvil, he shaped the metal bar with precise blows from his hammer. I was captivated as he calculated the amount of heat and the points of impact needed to mold the metal into the desired shape.

The blacksmith would heat the metal, rough out the basic shape, inspect his work, and heat it again to focus on the details. It was interesting to see a simple length of metal rod being converted into something useful. It had no resemblance to the plain bar it once had been.

Gentle Reader, while I may not relish the heat, I am grateful that God is refining and shaping my life. In the hands of a skilled blacksmith, steel is not resilient but malleable. If it were resilient, it would always revert to its original form, rendering it useless. I aspire to be useful, and the only way for a bar of steel to become something of value is to be subjected to fire and shaped on the anvil. So, if you find yourself being tested and molded in the crucible of life, remember that 'it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.' Philippians 2:13 (NRSV)

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10/28/2025

Today's devotional, The Patrolman, tells the story of my brother-in-law's encounter with a patrolman. It is Chapter 47 in my book, Rusty Treasures.

The Datsun pickup was loaded, and Duane was finally ready to set out into the night. It had been an incredibly long day at work, as he had to complete a crucial job before leaving for a family function in Salt Lake City. It was well past 2 A.M. by the time Duane made it home, and in just an hour, he had unloaded his tools and equipment and was prepared to leave. As he drove west out of Denver, the darkness of the mountains was oppressive. The night sky was devoid of stars, and the moon was veiled by clouds that seamlessly blended in with the rest of the sky.

Duane was tired and worried. The Datsun's engine was grumbling and straining as it went up into the mountains. The little pickup didn't have enough power, and the engine would sputter and cut out as it climbed in elevation. The trip took a long time because the engine was running poorly, and the pickup couldn't travel at normal speeds. "What is wrong with the engine?" thought Duane. Is it going to quit and leave us beside the road?"

When he arrived in the town of Craig, it was 8 A.M. He stopped at an auto parts store that had just opened and bought a bottle of carburetor cleaner. He suspected that the carburetor might be causing the engine to run poorly. To ensure the cleaner reached the carburetor, he disconnected the gas line, filled the fuel filter with cleaner, and poured the remaining cleaner into the gas tank. As he drove west out of Craig, the Datsun's engine started running better, and soon, it was running smoothly on the empty country highway. Duane was relieved that the little pickup was back to normal. It was running so well that they soon reached a speed of 80 miles per hour on the deserted highway.

"Finally, I will be able to make up some time," thought Duane. He hadn't seen another vehicle for half an hour when suddenly he noticed a patrol car approaching in his rear-view mirror. He looked down at his speedometer and saw he was going over 80 miles an hour. "Oh no," he thought, "I'm going to get a speeding ticket." He slowed the pickup down and expected the patrolman to stop him, but instead, the patrolman pulled around him and then slowed down. "That's odd," thought Duane, but he was thankful he hadn't been pulled over.

Duane wondered why the patrolman was driving so slowly. Despite his frustration, he stayed behind the patrol car. After a short while, the patrolman pulled off the road into a shallow ditch. Duane then realized that a bridge had washed out overnight. He spotted a work crew on the other side of the bridge putting up barricades, but there were no barricades on his side. Duane followed the patrolman through the ditch and across the dry creek bed. When he got back onto the highway, the patrolman was nowhere to be seen.

As Duane recently shared this story with me, I could hear the emotion in his voice, even though the event occurred thirty-five years ago. He is confident that God was watching out for him and sent the patrolman to prevent him from driving off a washed-out bridge at 80 miles per hour. I believe God was looking out for Duane, and I am confident he does the same for you and me. However, most of the time, I am unaware of what God is doing for me.

A story in the Bible about the prophet Elisha shows that I am not alone in being unaware of what God is doing for me. You can find the story in 2 Kings Chapter 6. The King of Aram is at war with Israel. Somehow, the King of Israel is aware of every move he makes. The King of Aram thinks he must have a traitor in his ranks passing information to the Israelites. His men tell him that it's not one of the king's men but it is Elisha, the prophet from Israel. They said, "Elisha even knows what you say in the privacy of your bedroom." The king sent horses, chariots, and many troops to Dothan to capture Elisha. They arrived at night and surrounded the city.

We pick up the story in 2 Kings 6:15-17 (NCV), "Elisha's servant got up early, and when he went out, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, 'Oh, my master, what can we do?' Elisha said, 'Don't be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us.' Then Elisha prayed, 'Lord, open my servant's eyes, and let him see.' The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

We are often totally unaware of how God is protecting us. When things aren't going well for us, we are very aware, but when things are going smoothly, we don't stop to think about God and how He is blessing us. "God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence." 2 Samuel 22:3 (NLT)

Gentle Reader, "He has put his angels in charge of you. They will watch over you wherever you go." Psalms 91:11 (ICB) Whenever my Momma saw evidence of God working in her life or the life of others, she would refer to it as a 'God thing.' Be on the lookout for 'God things' in your life; It may even be a patrolman.

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10/27/2025

Today's devotional, The Unlikely Messenger, tells the story of my playwright granddaughter's first play. It is Chapter 45 in my book, Love Letters.

I sat in the high school auditorium, waiting in anticipation for the play to begin. I had been hearing about the play for several weeks. My oldest granddaughter, a junior in high school, had written the play over the last month. She also directed the play, with fifteen of her fellow high school students performing all the roles.

When it was time to begin, my granddaughter made her way to the front of the auditorium and began to speak. "My name is Autumn Grant," she began. "I am the writer and director of The Unlikely Messenger. I am very nervous and excited to have you all watch the play that the drama class has worked hard on for so many hours for your enjoyment. I have a few little requests for you in the audience. Number one is, please silence your cell phones because this play takes place in the 1840s, so they did not have cell phones. It would add to the realism if no cell phones went off during the play. Just silence your cell phone so the actors don't realize that they're actually in 2023."

After the introduction, the lights dimmed and faded to black. The audience was silent as a spotlight appeared on the center aisle, and three young girls walked toward the stage, happily chatting. Another girl soon appeared, and there was an altercation. When the three girls ignored her and walked away, she picked up a rock and threw it at them, hitting Ellen in the head. Her sisters pick Ellen up and carry her home.

The following scenes show the doctor visiting Ellen, her mother pleading with God for Ellen's life, and her father not recognizing her because of her injuries. After her family listens to William Miller, a famous preacher of the era, they are excited that Jesus is coming soon. They are very disappointed when Jesus doesn't come when they thought he would.

God calls teenage Ellen to comfort the followers of William Miller who have been disappointed, but she doesn't feel like she can and stays away from church meetings, so she won't have to share what God has told her. She tells God, "I know what you showed me. I know you want me to share this with others, but how can I? What if I'm too sick, God? I'm only seventeen. I can tell my family, but I won't tell others. Look at me; I'm not fit to share your message. Pick someone else."

When Ellen finally decides to speak to others, she travels around New England speaking to groups, encountering interested listeners and detractors. It wasn't easy for a female, especially a teenage girl, to be taken seriously, but after her initial hesitancy, Ellen dedicated her life to God and preaching His message.

At the end of the hour-long play, the audience cheered as the performers came out for a curtain call, showing their appreciation for the hard work of everyone involved. As my granddaughter came onto the stage and held hands with the performers, her face broke into a big smile. Now there were no more late nights writing, no more hours and hours of practice, and no more anxiety and nervousness. There was now relief and happiness, knowing that the play was a success and the audience loved it.

The play tells the historical story of Ellen Harmon, who Smithsonian Magazine named one of the "100 Most Significant Americans of All Time." For the next seventy years, she preached across the U.S. and Australia and wrote over 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books. She is the most translated female non-fiction author in the history of literature and the most translated American non-fiction author of either gender. Historian Randall Balmer has described her as "one of the more important and colorful figures in the history of American religion."

Ellen's story as an unlikely and hesitant messenger reminded me of another hesitant messenger's story. Moses is a shepherd who encounters a strange phenomenon while watching his flock. The Bible says that "Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up. 'This is amazing,' Moses said to himself. 'Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it.'" Exodus 3:2,3 (NLT)

When Moses inspected the burning bush, God called to him from the middle of the bush. "'The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.' But Moses protested to God, 'Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?' God answered, 'I will be with you.'" Exodus 3:9-12 (NLT)

But just like Ellen, Moses didn't feel like he could do the job God asked him to do. He pleaded with God, "O Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled." Exodus 4:10 (NLT)

God wasn't going to take no for an answer. He told Moses, "'Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.' But Moses again pleaded, 'Lord, please! Send anyone else.'" Exodus 4:12-13 (NLT)

When Moses was finally convinced to go to Egypt and confront the Pharaoh, one of the most powerful men on the planet, God was able to use him to free over 600,000 enslaved people. He is remembered today as one of the most important prophets in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Gentle Reader, the stories of Moses and Ellen show us that God has always used ordinary men and women to carry out his plans if we are willing. Have you felt God asking you to do something, but because you feel inadequate, you have resisted Him? God has a plan for you. Whatever God has in store for you, remember His words of encouragement: "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) You may be the next unlikely messenger.

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10/26/2025

Today's devotional, Take Me to the Mardi Gras, isn't about the French Quarter in New Orleans, but a family-friendly Mardi Gras parade in Shreveport. It is Chapter 48 in my book Quiet Reflections.

The road stretched out ahead as I headed south toward Louisiana. Paul Simon’s voice filled the car as the scenery flew by my window. “Come on, take me to the Mardi Gras, where the people sing and play. Where the dancing is elite, and there’s music in the street both night and day.” As the song nears the end, the legendary Onward Brass Band of New Orleans takes over, and I can almost feel the streets of New Orleans. I was heading south to visit family and experience a Mardi Gras parade.

People who live outside Louisiana and have never experienced Mardi Gras primarily perceive it as a drunken holiday filled with sensuality. However, contrary to public perception, Mardi Gras is mainly a family, kid-friendly celebration. Mardi Gras New Orleans advises, “The only area that we don’t recommend taking kids during Mardi Gras is the French Quarter.” Almost all of the parades are family-friendly. Families set up along the parade routes to picnic, play games, and watch the parade pass. Throws often include toys, stuffed animals, beads, and more that kids can catch.

I wasn’t going all the way to New Orleans. My destination was Shreveport. Our group from Arkansas and Missouri met our family from Louisiana at the Krewe of Centaur parade in Shreveport. My son-in-law’s family owns a building on Barksdale Highway along the parade route, so we had an excellent place to park, tailgate, and watch the parade. It was a fantastic location to see the family-friendly parade.

Many floats passed by, with participants throwing gifts out into the crowd. Over 11,000 people lined the streets waving their hands and yelling, “Throw me something.” Participants on the floats threw traditional Mardi Gras throws such as beads, doubloons, and plastic cups. The Krewe of Centaur is famous for unusual throws. Because it is a family-friendly parade, throws also included candy, frisbees, mini-footballs, toys, superballs, and a wide assortment of stuffed animals. My young nephew caught a toy sword and a hula hoop. My granddaughter caught several toys, including a stuffed animal.

The Krewe of Centaur was organized in 1991. The Krewe focuses on building a better community and pursuing good family fun. The Krewe of Centaur Mardi Gras Parade has grown over the years to become one of the largest parades in the Ark-La-Tex. Since the first parade over thirty years ago, the Krewe of Centaur parade has continued to be a family parade, sticking to its original mission, a family-friendly Mardi Gras parade for the people of Shreveport.

It is incredible to see how excited people get about the possibility of catching some plastic beads or other trinkets. Everyone, including me, is swept up in the idea of being the one to get that unique item. Everywhere you look, there are kids on their parent’s shoulders, giving them a chance to catch beads and toys. Participants on the floats often single out kids in the crowd to give them a special gift. The kids in our group had a great time.

As I put a large bag of “treasures” in the car when the parade was over, I thought about how everyone at the Mardi Gras parade clamored for these plastic items that had little value. I thought about how I wished people were that excited about the gift of God’s grace. Romans 3:24 (NIRV) says, “The free gift of God’s grace makes us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free.”

The Bible is clear that God’s grace is a gift. Why don’t more people accept the gift? If you were to ask one hundred random people, “How do you get to heaven?” you would hear a lot of different answers. You would hear things like, “Try to be good and do your best,” “Work hard at being a good moral person,” or “Do more good things in life than you do bad things.” All of these ideas are based on our abilities and actions. They are not based on the concept of a gift. When people don’t feel the need for the gift, They don’t see any reason to accept the gift of God’s grace. Many religious people fall into this way of thinking. They feel they can do it themselves and don’t need a gift.

The Bible is very plain in Romans 5:16 (NLT): “And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.” The Bible is also clear that our efforts can only lead to condemnation. Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) tells us that, “all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” We need to understand that we can’t be righteous apart from the gift of God.

Not only do we not have the ability to be righteous, but we are also under a heavy penalty. Romans 3:23 (KJV) says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 (KJV) adds, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Every person on the earth is under the penalty of death. But thankfully, there is hope because of Jesus Christ. The book of Acts tells the story of the Philippian jailer. The jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And Paul and Silas answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Acts 16:30,31 (NKJV)

Gentle Reader, we don’t need the beads and baubles of a Mardi Gras parade, but we all need the gift of grace. We all need to have the penalty paid for our sins. We need the gift of God, eternal life. Don’t be too proud to accept the gift. Don’t think you are good enough on your own. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 (NRSV)

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10/25/2025

Today's devotional, The Doctor's Coupe, tells the story of my Model T coupe. It was first published in the March 13, 2024, issue of The Polk County Pulse.

As I was visiting with a long-time car collector friend, he told me that he was going to sell his 1926 Ford Model T Doctor’s Coupe. I had a couple of cars that he was interested in and wanted to know if I would be interested in making a trade. I told him that I wasn’t interested in Model T’s. They were too old for me, and I knew nothing about them.

A few days later, he posted the Doctor’s Coupe on Facebook Messenger. When I saw the photos, I fell in love with the car. I had never seen a Model T coupe before. I decided to call my friend and see if we could make a deal. I made him an offer, and the Model T Doctor’s Coupe was mine.

The following week, my friend delivered the Model T to my shop. He gave me a quick driving lesson after driving the car off the trailer. Model Ts are different from modern vehicles in the way they drive. On the floor are three pedals, just like the manual transmission cars of today. But the pedals serve very different functions.

The left pedal is the clutch on the cars I am used to driving. When you push on the clutch, the car’s transmission disengages from the motor. But on a Model T, you press hard on the left pedal, bands tighten on the transmission, and the car moves forward in low gear. When you have built enough speed, you let off the left pedal, and the car shifts into high gear. This car has only two speeds forward. Push down for low, and lift for high.

On the right-hand side, you have a conventional brake pedal. When you want to stop, you step on it, just like in a modern car. The only difference is the location of the pedal. In the vehicles that I am used to driving, the right pedal is the gas pedal that controls the engine's speed. But on a model T, the right pedal engages a brake band on the outside of the transmission and slows the car. The brakes on a Model T are weak, and you must be very careful when driving.

Now, can you guess what the center pedal is for? When you want to back up, you step on the center pedal, and the car backs up. The dual-purpose, hand-operated Emergency Brake and Clutch Release are also located on the floor to the driver's left. It is pulled back toward the driver and serves as the parking brake. But pushing the handle halfway into a vertical position puts the car into Neutral, essential for stopping and reversing. Moving the handle toward the driver’s feet puts the Model T in top gear.

Modern drivers will not be used to two controls on the steering wheel. These two levers are positioned under the steering wheel. This one on the left is the spark advance, re**rd in the up position, advance down. On the other side is the hand throttle. The Model T has no accelerator on the floor; instead, the engine speed is controlled by this hand throttle. As you move it down, the engine goes faster and faster.

After driving around at my shop for a few minutes, I was ready to try the Model T on the highway. I needed gas in the fuel tank and headed for the nearest gas station. The highway heading into town from my shop has a fairly steep incline. The Model T struggled to make it up the hill as I mashed down on the low-gear pedal. I chugged along at around five miles an hour.

When I reached the gas station, I opened the flap on the cowl and removed the gas cap. When I could see the gas nearing the top of the tank, I put the gas nozzle back on the pump, replaced the gas cap, and got back in the Model T. I was still nervous while driving. The controls were so different, and the little car was so slow that I worried about the traffic passing me at highway speeds.

That evening, I watched many YouTube videos explaining how the Model T transmission and pedals worked. My new purchase intrigued me, and I wanted to learn all I could about it. I was also fascinated by the tremble coils the Model T uses in its ignition system.

As I was getting ready for bed, a thought suddenly came to my mind. I didn't pay for the gas when I drove the Model T to the gas station and filled the tank. I am used to using a credit card for my gas purchases, but the station nearest my shop doesn’t have card readers at the pump. As I thought about it, I clearly remembered driving off without paying.

I didn’t sleep well all night, tossing and turning, knowing I had not paid for my gas. First thing in the morning, I drove to the gas station to pay for the gas. I was embarrassed and apologetic as I walked into the station and told them what had happened. I felt like a thief, even though it had been unintentional.

I thought about the passage in Leviticus 5:17(NCV), “If a person sins and does something the Lord has commanded not to be done, even if he does not know it, he is still guilty. He is responsible for his sin.” I wondered, can we be guilty for sinful responses that seem to happen to us automatically? Can we consider sin voluntary if it is not consciously chosen? What if I unintentionally drive off without paying for my gas?

As I was paying for the gas, I had the assurance of God’s forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (ESV)

Gentle Reader, God has promised to forgive us if we confess our sins. Part of confession is making things right. I hold on to the promise found in Hebrews 10:22 (NCV): Let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith because we have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

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