How long did Rahab the harlot wait before she tied the scarlet line in the window, when the spies told her that the house, which was marked by the scarlet line, should be spared when the city was destroyed? And how long did Cornelius wait before he sent his servants to fetch the Apostle Peter when the angel told him to do so?
Oh, you who say you would like to be saved and still put it off to a “more convenient season,” will you not both take courage and take warning? Do you think God doesn’t mean what He says when He speaks those blessed words: “NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2))? Does the God who sent His Son to die for us not care about your salvation? The hindrance is not on His side; it is on yours.
Perhaps you will think that Rahab and Cornelius belong to a specially favored class and that you are not like them. But have you done as they did? Have you gone to Jesus when you heard His word?
See in the book of Joshua how Rahab bound the line in the window immediately after she let down the spies. Nothing would do for her but to be right at once, and her house from that moment was marked for salvation.
Did Cornelius delay one hour after he heard the angel’s message? No, he felt there was no time to be lost.