The Simply, Easy, Difficult, Wonderful Life

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly and heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matt. 11:29-30

My mom likes to say, "Just because something is simple, doesn't mean that it is easy." For a long time I didn't really get it. Simple and easy are synonyms, right? Simple means that it is easy to understand.  Easy means that it is not difficult to do. 

The Christian life is simple, it is not too difficult to understand.  Jesus died that we may have life and that we may have it more abundantly. He took our punishment, so that we may live through His Spirit, defeating sin and death by the cross. Since He did that, we are no longer bound under sin.  We are dead to it.  We have Christ's power within us to overcome temptation.  We are more than conquerors when we live in Him.

And yet....it's not easy.  It's difficult, because we are still sinners, though redeemed.  We have every opportunity and resource to overcome the Devil, and yet, often, we don't. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."  We succomb to that which has no power over us anymore.  Jesus says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  The weight of sin is heavy, unbearable, and He offers His easy yoke (it is easy and light because He is carrying it, not us!)  but we often try to carry both.  "No one can serve two masters."  "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." 

The concept is simple.  The practice is not easy.  But it is possible.  It is by His Power alone.  When we try to sanctify ourselves, to resist temptation, to be strong in weaknesses, then we fail.  But when we admit before God, over and over, every day, every moment, "Father God, I can't do this!" It is then that that our burden is easy and light, because we're not carrying it anymore!

It's simple. "Pray that you enter not into temptation!"  Give it over to the Lord, be broken before Him, and He takes the burden of living. 
Life still won't be easy, but you don't have to bear it alone, my friends. 

Romans 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For when I am weak, then I am strong!"