“The Easy Yoke, the Light Burden”

"The Easy Yoke, the Light Burden"   

    

     

   All good leaders bear the heart of a servant.  This is especially true of our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

   "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

  The attempt to be more than we are and to govern our lives apart from the grace of God leads to an exhausted and burdened heart.  Thus, the Lord Jesus call us to the rest and peace of His yoke.  While equal with His Father in personhood and substance - "I and my Father are one" - our Savior nevertheless accepts His role of submission in the triune relationship that exists in the godhead - "My Father is greater than I" (John 10:30; 14:28).  He therefore lives in perfect peace, and calls us to learn the meekness and lowliness of His nature that will also still our hearts.  Indeed, if the Lord Jesus who is equal with God nevertheless submits Himself within the authority structure of the Trinity, how much more must created and lesser beings such as ourselves find peace in submission?

   The Holy Spirit who dwells within the heart of believers also takes His place in the hierarchy of God.  As the sent One of both the Father and the Son, the Spirit of God occupies His role of submission to the Father and the Son, even as He governs and empowers our lives (John 14:26; 16:7).  A ServantLeader, as it were.  Thus, we must expect that the tranquility of our hearts flows in direct relationship to the bearing the yoke of submission we see in God Himself.  Moreover, if we find ourselves in roles of leadership, we seek to view ourselves first as servants, and to guide those under us in the remembrance that we ourselves are under authority.  This is peace, the peace that originates in the very nature of God Himself.  And this is rest, the easing of burden that results when we accept our place in submission to God, and to the authority structures in which we live our lives.

"By Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers."

(Colossians 1:16)

 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.  And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11)

"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (I Peter 2:13-15)

Weekly Memory Verse 

   By Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.

(Colossians 1:16)