Tracie Peterson - [Desert Roses 01] by Shadows of the Canyon Page A

gives you a lot of help along the way. When you’re tempted to do the wrong thing, go the wrong direction, He’s there for you. Just like tonight.”
    “How so, boss?”
    “I wasn’t tempted to do anything wrong with Miss Winthrop, but if I had been, this would have been a bad situation for me. It would have been hard to resist a barely clothed woman who obviously was looking for a good time. But my heart was fixed on doing the right thing. It was fixed that way because I turned my desires over to God a long time ago. Since then, I’ve been praying and reading the Bible, and I know a little better everyday what I should and shouldn’t let myself get into.”
    Clancy pulled off his boots and nodded. “So because you were thinking about God, you weren’t thinking about what Miss Winthrop had to offer?”
    “That’s partially it. It’s because of my relationship with God that I also respect the people in my life. I try to treat each person as I would want to be treated—with respect and kindness. It doesn’t always come out that way. I have a mean streak, as you well know.”
    Clancy laughed. “I’ve seen it a time or two.”
    “Well, I try to control that as well. See, a man who can control his tongue can control just about anything else. And what a man says comes up out of his heart. The Bible says so.”
    “I ain’t never heard this religion stuff put quite this way. It makes a heap more sense than what I’ve known in the past.”
    “That’s because I don’t care much for religion myself. I care about God and what He wants for my life. Religions can just cause a man grief. They scatter him in all sorts of directions looking for answers to one thing and then another.” Luke walked over to his saddlebag and pulled out his Bible. “This is what counts, Clancy. The Bible has all the answers we’ll ever need. It’s all laid out in here.”
    Clancy scratched his chest and looked rather embarrassed. “I don’t . . . well . . . I don’t have one of those. Never saw the need, so I ain’t never bought me one.”
    “Then have this one,” Luke said, bringing the Bible to his friend. “But let me share just one passage with you first.”
    “Sure,” Clancy said, looking at the book as though Luke were offering him gold.
    Luke turned to the third chapter of John. “See here, this is Jesus talking to a man named Nicodemus—he was a ruler of the Jewish people. He tells Nicodemus, ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ ”
    “Everlasting life? You mean, you never die?”
    “Your body dies eventually—everybody’s does. But when you accept Jesus as your Savior—when you believe on Him and repent of your sins—you’re given eternal life for your spirit. When your body dies, your spirit will live on with Jesus in heaven.”
    “Seems simple enough,” Clancy said, looking at the words for himself. “Is there more I have to do?”
    “There are things we do out of obedience and respect to God—baptism and service, tithing and fellowship—but first and foremost, we accept that Jesus is the Son of God and we accept that He died for us sinners so that we wouldn’t have to face death alone. We repent of our sins and work to never repeat our old ways. It’s a new life, Clancy.”
    “Them are powerful words, Luke,” Clancy said, looking up with an expression that suggested awe. “So what do I have to do to repent? I mean, how do I know if I did something that God considers a sin?”
    “God knows your heart, Clancy. If you tell Him you’re sorry for the past wrongs you’ve committed—if you ask Him to forgive you and to come into your heart, He will. He’ll help you to understand what’s right and wrong in His sight. You’ll learn it by reading the Bible and you’ll see, too, the deep love He has for you.”
    “I just talk to Him—like I’m talking to you?” “Just so. Most folks