RIGHT NOW
by
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (August 13, 2015)
"And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch" (St. Mark 13:37, King James Version [The second coming of the Lord]).
Greetings In The Holy Name Of Jesus,
My sisters and brothers, "Lord, save me", I plead to God to save me in my dire straits, right now". I heard a woman---a pastor's wife in a baptist congregation say that it is not good to pray to Christ Jesus, for God to save, "right now" because she acted-out barely speaking her feelings---it was as if, you [I knew "you" meant "oppressed servants in the deep south of Georgia meaning of servant" not "friend" as Christ Jesus called the "free servants of the LORD---Jesus came to set the captives free for the blood of the lamb covers you right now and any time."] were telling God when to do things:
[an "uppity" posture---practicing hate on the "person" instead of
respecting the need---"Lord, save me" speaks volumes to God from
your heart the urgency of your need--the emergency situation of
your need---the right now feeling of your need. If you cried out just
the name, "Jesus" and collapsed after saying the name "Jesus" God
would still know you need Him, right now. God is not offended by
the sheer terror and right now feeling in your heart. God is pleased
to know both your mind is open and your heart is open to receive
Him---that is the greater good when you have little time and need
God's help to save you. This is not a question or debate over who is
greater the servant or the master but who is greater time or God for
we know of the servant and the master; the master is greater and
of time and God; God is greater than time; for God is master of His
servants and God of time, hence we know Christ Jesus is master of
his servants and Christ Jesus is God of time.].
---a confusion over humility and humbleness in a community where the older generation still practiced oppression---staying in your place---a deep south mentality where people sit on their roost and do things when they see fit---a haughty proud Mary view of righteousness [we know pride goeth before destruction and haughtiness goeth before the fall] and God's love---not truly knowing the depth of God's love and how He watches over us, day and night, to save us---a God who draws us near to him as we draw near to him [a Christ Jesus who taught Peter to be a fisher of men, St. Matthew 4:19, KJV],---a God who gave us His Son, Christ Jesus to hear our prayers petitions day and night---any hour. Praying, Lord, save me, right now, is just a time in any given day---even the hour of death, was ransomed (St. Matthew 20: 28, KJV ["...and to give his life a ransom for many.")---Jesus Christ paid the price and if the hour of Christ Jesus' death was paid for by the blood of the lamb then all things are possible for you---at your hour of death, even Hezakiah negotiated for time to live at his hour of death because of the hour of death of Christ Jesus made all things possible for the children of God---for those who cried out in prayer for Christ Jesus to save them in unexpected situations facing death or even expected situations facing unexpected death results. I say, Tell that to Daniel in the lion's den, tell that to Shadrech, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnance, tell that to the mothers asking the spirit of Christ Jesus in Elijah and Elishah to raise their sons from the dead, tell that to Israel who God fed manna every day for 40 years in the desert wilderness, tell that to Peter when he walked on the water with Christ Jesus that the hand of Jesus did not immediately [meaning "right now" ] catch him---save him when he fell in and when Christ Jesus immediately saved Peter, his rock---the head of the church---when he cried out, subsequently, the prayers of the church cried out and he immediately saved the church [for the gates of hell shall not stand against "the church---the bride of Christ Jesus"]:
"And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on
the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were
troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway
Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And
Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee
on the water. And he said, Come.
And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on water,
to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and
beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus
stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship,
the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him,
saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God" (St. Matthew 14: 25-33, KJV).
Jesus and Peter demonstrated what Christ Jesus meant when he told Peter, "I'll make you a fisher of men" when Christ caught Peter, fished him out of the water, the true essence of being a fisher of men was seen in Christ Jesus as a fisherman catching Peter---out of the water which symbolized baptism for cleansing Peter for the saving of his soul and subsequently saving the souls of men---not just to save the flesh of men [Peter knew he was drowning and he knew he needed to be saved. You need to know you are drowning to know you need to be saved]. Don't wait---do not think that you are an inconvenience or imposing on God's time---God does not exist in time---we do, here on earth---just ask God to save you, right now, any time you feel the need---God is always ready to receive you---Are you ready to receive Christ Jesus? Don't even hesitate, make haste to ask Christ Jesus to save you---save your soul, right now [Christ Jesus came to call sinners to repent to be saved, not for the righteous]. You were chosen like Peter and the apostles to fish men out of the depths of death, to cleanse them to be in the presence of God in order to save their souls to receive the gift of eternal life. Lord, save me, right now!
In modern times, tell it to the drowning man when a hand reaches him when he has gone down for the last time and taken his last breath, tell it to the people in the car who lost their brakes and with all hope lost---his car spun around and jumped the embankment to crash when they walked away without a scratch, tell it to the kidnapped child when a stranger recognized the person he or she was with could not be their parent and rescued them, tell it to the hungry child who gave up on ever eating again preparing to die when a box of food is left at their door, tell it to the man who has lost hope of finding a job and all the bills threatened to leave him without a home, without food to eat and without electricity and the phone rings with a job offer, tell it to the failing child with all F's in all classes and then one day he feels differently and with the love of God turned his grades around, tell it to the mother whose prodigal child who left home returned, tell it to the young boy standing amongst assorted sundry sinners on the street corners of the world dealing drugs when a hail of bullets rained down upon the place where they stood and he does not get killed, tell it to the addict that the drug dealer sold bad drugs to when she doesn't die, tell it to the single-parent turned street whore trying to hustle enough cash to get the money to buy school clothes when her baby's daddy shows up with money for school clothes, tell it to the man collecting aluminum cans to buy food to eat when the price of aluminum goes up, tell it to the homeless mother and her child when they laid on the sidewalk each night to rest when free temporary housing becomes available, tell it to the families trapped that made it through the raging storm facing death each hour, tell it to the woman when the shattered glass did not take her sight, tell it to the sun that gives the light of day, tell it to the moon that gives the light of night [Jesus is the light in the darkness on earth---"...Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light." St. Matthew 17: 1-2, KJV; "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.", St. Matthew 5: 16, KJV]. Is your hour at hand or is someone trying to cheat you out of your life---Jesus saves? "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man" (St. Matthew 15: 18-20, KJV).
Tell it---that you are bound in unbelief but for those who believe, run to Christ Jesus and plead, Lord, save me, by the blood of the lamb, right now. For nothing is impossible for God, if only you believe that he delivers any day of the week, any hour, without delay, right now---even the worst of crimes---no crime is greater than the love of God for his family---his children in Christ Jesus. There is no hour that is a greater hour that God cannot deliver his children---his family from the attack by day or night, the famine, the pestilence, the hunger, the state of delusion, the hate, the sins of man. Accordingly, Apostle John witnessed, "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" (3:16, KJV [God gave his Son, Christ Jesus to save the world---Satan out of envy of Christ Jesus proclaimed himself prince of the earth claiming every one and every thing but God gave the world Christ Jesus and God gave every thing in and of the earth to Christ Jesus and God gave those sinners he chose---even the elect, to Christ Jesus]). I recalled a woman on the Atlantic Ocean coast was told there was nothing else that could be done, in stage four cancer facing her hour of death, she prayed but she also sought the help of those who believed in root work, slept on a broken-down altar from a church trusting her husband's intervention to save her---she died whereas another woman on the Pacific Ocean coast in stage four cancer prayed relying solely on God, lived and still lives since that year---the hour of both their deaths, in 2003.
Most importantly, for you to believe, Jesus saves is right, and let no one separate you from the love of God with foolish notions that God does not respond to, right now pleads ["He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" St. John 3: 18, KJV]. God is a 24 hours/7days/52 weeks/every year/on call Father who responds to pleads for help without vacation with a forgiving heart and with your holy spirit praying for you when you do not know to pray for yourself, the truth of the matter is, Are you a child of God---it doesn't matter if you left God many years ago---you can go back---God forgives, Jesus said, to ask God. There was a woman baptized at age nine, decided to get baptized as an adult because she felt she did not know what or understand baptism at age nine [Christ Jesus was in his thirties when his kin, John the Baptist baptized him because when Christ was a baby, circumcision was needed to enter in the old covenant of God---Israel did not realize they were in the new covenant of God [Jeremiah 31:31-33,KJV], wherein baptism is needed to enter in the new covenant of God until John the Baptist started baptizing in the Jordan River, St. Matthew 3rd chapter, KJV; 3: 3-7, KJV; 3: 13-17, KJV]. Is it that you cannot live a holy life and you have pretended all your life to love God to receive all the benefits of Christ but truly in your heart God knows you are torn in your love for him but scared to death of Satan---sitting on the fence with your love---not totally commiting to anyone or any thing until you find yourself under attack by the evil presence on earth? With that said, I recall a man up in age nearing 80-years-old in a few years---a deacon---a superintendent of Sunday School, after meeting with the the officers of a Baptist seminary to address the needs of his church's congregation for teaching and learning said, "If God will give me time, I will give God my time."
Christ Jesus heals those with little faith, too, because your heart is open but you do not want to go too far in---afraid God's love in the wrong hands of the people around you might suffocate you or be a downfall instead of uplifting you in grace but isn't that the struggle of man---letting go and letting God remove all doubts? There is none greater who will show you the truth, love, faith, charity, all the virtues known to man and those unknown on a higher understanding of love than Christ Jesus to unite you with God. Do not let anyone cheat you out of your life when you can be saved. Isn't it far better to clean your slate---to finally feel the depth of what is possible with God's love---penance behind you---opening your heart and telling God what he already knows about you but showing God you are ready to do all the great works he said you could do here on earth with him---trusting Christ Jesus. Lord, I love you [LORD, I love you]. Accordingly, Apostle Mark witnessed signs of the time---the only time you need to concern yourself with is---the second coming of the Lord for many things will happen in the world to the children of God in the family of God brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus but Jesus said, "...watch and pray...Watch." (13th chapter, KJV [The second coming of the Lord]).
Lord, I trust you with all my heart, mind, and soul. I will follow where you lead. What is it you do not understand about marriage? How can you accept less, if what you seek is the truth of love, then surrender all? Won't you enter in to the greatest love story ever told?
Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Lord be with you. Amen.
