1950 Ford Pickup

1950 Ford Pickup

 By Paul Nash, Director of Home Missions, AFLC            January, 2020

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline,” 2Timothy 1:7

Floyd was a man who lived just a mile from where I was raised.  Floyd and his wife, Edna, enjoyed the simple life of farming, raising chickens, and life on the prairies of North Dakota.  Unable to have their own children, they enjoyed visits from the Nash family and we often got them to laugh along with our antics and jokes.

One day, Floyd came over to talk with me.  His trusty old 1950, Ford pickup with a Flathead V-8 was in trouble.  Floyd had replaced the distributor cap, the points and rotor, and even new wires and spark plugs; but it still would not start!   The engine was spinning over, but it wouldn’t start.  He asked me what to do?  Floyd replaced the battery and put on new cables from the battery down to the engine.  The engine was spinning over but it would not start.  He asked me what to do?  I suggested to Floyd that he put on a new fuel pump and filter.

Floyd went to town, got the parts, and put on the new fuel pump and filter, but the pickup would still not start.  At this point Floyd was exhausted and said, “Paul, here’s the title for the pickup you can have it.  I am tired of it.   I am frustrated, all you have to do is to figure out why it won’t run and the pickup is yours.”

Floyd’s mind was set and I wasn’t going to argue with him.  I thanked him for the offer and again started considering the options.  One day, I had my younger brother go with to look at the pickup.  While we were working on it, we realized the gas was not getting to the fuel pump!  The pickup hose in the tank had broken off and in spite of all the new parts; it couldn’t draw the gas up to the engine to run.

Aren’t we sometimes in the same position?  Do you ever find yourself unable to draw from the power that God wants to give us in our spiritual lives?  Usually, it’s because we haven’t taken the time and effort to spend time alone to feed our souls and cleanse our conscience so that we can be effective in running the race that Christ has put before us.

May I encourage you to make sure there are no roadblocks in your relationship with the Lord?  Are there broken relationships or besetting sins that are keeping God’s power from flowing into your life?  You have been designed to give honor and glory to the Lord, but you need His grace to be in His presence moving forward.

This true story was written by Pastor Nash who gave us permission to share this from one of his weekly newsletters, KNEE MAIL.  We sincerely thank him.                                                                                                                                                                                                     Lord Jesus: Help us to put you first in 2020 for nothing else matters but your glory in our lives.  Help us to start everyday with you.  Forgive us our sins and lead us to be your witnesses each new day.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen   ~cms