Fruit of the Spirit - Part 5. Patience

Romans 8:25 - "But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently." 

The Jews in Exodus 32:

"The Hebrews were finally free from Egypt, and they were sitting at the foot of Mount Sinai waiting for Moses to come back down from the mountain. Several of the people became restless and went to Aaron requesting that some gods be created for them to follow. So Aaron took their gold and created a sculpture of a calf. The people began to celebrate in "pagan revelry." The celebration angered the Lord, who told Moses that He was going to destroy the people. Moses prayed for their safety, and the Lord allowed the people to live. Yet, Moses was so angry with their impatience that he ordered that those not on the Lord's side be killed. The Lord then sent a "great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made." 

WOW! I'm thinking the next time I'm impatient, I'll wait upon the Lord!

Lesson:

Patience is one of the most difficult fruits of the Spirit to possess. While there are differing degrees of patience in different people, it is a virtue most people wish they possessed in greater amounts. Most of us want things "right now." We live in a society that promotes instant gratification. Yet, there is something to the saying, "great things come to those who wait."
The wait on things can be frustrating. After all, you want that promotion right now. Or you want that new car right now on credit instead of waiting to have cash in hand. Advertising tells us that the "now" matters. Yet, the Bible tells us that God has His own timing. We need to wait on that timing or sometimes our blessings get lost.
Eventually the impatience of those Jews cost them their chance to enter the Promised Land. 40 years went by before their descendants were finally given the land. Sometimes God's timing is the most important, because he has other blessings to bestow. We cannot know all of His ways, so it is important to have trust in the delay. Eventually what will come your way will be better than you ever thought it could be, because it will come with God's blessings.