The Strength Of A Man

The Strength Of A Man

by

Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (12/6/2013)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report” (Hebrews 11:1-2, King James Version [Faith in the fathers of old]).

Greetings in the Holy Name of Jesus,

The elders obtained a good report, my brothers and my sisters, how much more is it for us the followers of Jesus to do right by His Name. Yesterday, in the midst of true fellowship, Nelson Mandela transitioned to the life promised by Jesus. For many of us, consumed with death more than life itself, we say, “He died.” Yet, eternal life is what Jesus promised and the power of resurrection resonates today in the hearts and minds of true believers as it resonated in the lives of the disciples, those Jesus left behind. In reflection of Nelson Mandela, the man, I spoke to my son, “I am full of feelings and emotions. I can't breathe. I can't breathe.”

What a time to breathe for Jesus in spite of the sorrow there must be joy, for joy came this morning?

I laid in my bed with the quiet of the night upon me and I heard, “Have faith”. Just two words came down softly spoken void of the feelings and emotions that took my breath away. Two words spoken with assurance, a certainty of do not fail to act resonated as a taskmaster. Two words spoken with such conviction, no more time to consider anything about why and no more considerations of time to do right.

Surely, I say to you, I felt my chest cave in, my organs collapsed inside of me then welled back up inside of me in a moment of time so that I could understand resurrection, transitioning to the spirit leaving the flesh behind. It happened so fast I barely noticed that it did happen to me except the quiet of night did not let the distractions of day flatter me and take me away. It did not matter that the television was on, I still felt the caving in of my body in a nano second, if that, I cannot explain the quickening of me in time; it just happened. I know the worst of what we consider when a most loved one dies is that there is some part of the process unknown to us that they might object to in the flesh but we must “Have faith” and know that God is still on the throne and it is He who made man and it is He who takes man away. Death our enemy cannot do anything to us until God wills it so in time and gives His permission, for Jesus did not die until it was His time and even in the dying of Jesus he said, “Father they know not what they do.”

There, you must know the flesh of limited understanding does not know what to pray for so the Holy Ghost must pray for us and send our prayers to Jesus. There, you must also know Jesus said man did not understand what he did in his death for his death gave man the gift of eternal life. Yet, the death of Jesus was wrong so out of wrong God made it right, out of the darkness God brought us into His marvelous light. How many of you understand the blood of the lamb made our salvation right? How many of you understand the blood of the lamb saved us?

With such an inheritance of saving grace in the faith of Jesus, there was no doubt South Africa's reach for a democratic nation was in their grasp and there was no doubt there Father in the Struggle for Freedom, Nelson Mandela, would exemplify and magnify the glory of God, from the streets of South Africa as Jesus did in his public ministry, to the prison of South Africa as Jesus did before he was scourged and crucified, to the founding President of a new nation as Jesus did when he left to one day return with a New Jerusalem. This is the promise, a new creature and a new earth. How many of you are clothed in the promise so much til you feel joy in the morning every morning and you can dance the dance of your freedom song while in the flesh? Nelson Mandela, danced to his freedom song and stood the test of time for the oppression of his people so that he could be counted as one worthy for the faith of Jesus in practice of faith in faith acts to do right by himself and to do right for his people. May God

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let the remembrance of Mandela, their Father, remain in the hearts and minds of South Africa and in the hearts and minds of the peoples of the world.