Bibledoorajar: Slippery Slopes

785: The number of years between the 1232 canonization of Saint Anthony of Padua and the day a great-grandmother in Brazil learned that the Anthony statue she had been praying to was, in fact, an action figure version of Elrond, a half-elvven character from The Lord of    the Rings.
                      That's Outrageous! By the Numbers, Reader's Digest, May, 2017

"When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,,,"(Exodus 32)

There are blessings that are immediate and for which we humans can be immediately grateful. However, when the blessings are slow to come and demand patience, faithfulness and self-control, it is harder for we humans to take. Most scholars do not think the Israelites were wanting to replace God; they wanted to replace their mediator. He was just too slow. Thus began their journey down the slippery slope of ill advised behavior: loss of self-control and mob thinking. It's outrageous that a golden calf "just popped out" but it happened. That's the trouble with slippery slopes and the human  need for immediacy. When the disciples could not even stay awake to pray for their Lord who was soon going to have to give his life for them, we got a taste of our weaknesses even under grace. And yet, the Father gave us the Holy Spirit who humbly says he can help us produce wonderful fruit as we wait for present and long-term blessings. Shall we not honor Him more?

"Patience is greater than power; and he who rules his own spirit is greater than one who captures a city."(Proverbs 16:32)

"The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, generosity, goodness, FAITHFULNESS, humility and SELF-CONTROL..." (Galatians 5)

For the blessings of the Bible which mean TOTAL increase, physically, spiritually and mentally, it seems worth a wait to me. How about you?