Seize the Moment – Day 506
Patience is Essential to Spiritual Growth!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 5.
Has your impatience ever caused problems?
Exodus 32 is a dumpster fire caused by impatience! The Israelites have been rescued from generations of slavery, but they have complained to Moses for most of the caravan out of Egypt to their current location at Mount Sinai. Moses has provided strong leadership along the way and now he was on the top of the mountain receiving the Law from God. The people, led by Aaron, had to wait for him to return, but as with most of us, waiting was not their strength!
Listen to how it all begins in Exodus 32:1, “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
The devastation and death of this moment of impatience is horrifying! Their impatience led to a great act of covenant unfaithfulness, with Aaron making a golden calf and the people participating in idol worship. Because they were unable to wait with patience and trust God and Moses, they pressed upon one of their own, Aaron, to give them what they wanted.
Patience is essential to spiritual growth! When you don’t know what God is doing, fill the gap with trust and patience! This takes faith and courage!
Later in their history, King David wrote these words in Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”
Seize the moment and wait with patience, remembering that God has promised to bring to completion that which He began! Wait on the Lord and trust His timing!