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That title is weird. The Holy Spirit is God. Jesus, who is also God, declared the easy yoke into existence. The easy yoke is easy only because of God. Therefore, it seems redundant to write an essay describing the easy yoke of the Holy Spirit when Jesus spoke about the easy yoke. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Let me hasten to explain.
God established the concept of the easy yoke. So how does it calculate that He is a part of the easy yoke? Can the creator of something also be a part of what he has created? Did Thomas Edison become a part of the light bulb? Did the Wright Brothers become a part of every plane constructed? The answer is ‘no’ because finite beings cannot dually exist. Only God can.
More importantly, what does the Holy Spirit do that infuses Himself into the concept of the easy yoke?
The infusion of the Holy Spirit into our lives begins with Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, humility, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
When a believer allows the Holy Spirit to grow these qualities into his life, would those qualities guarantee an easier life for the believer? Of course. But possibly not how we think of an easier life.
When we envision an easier life, we tend to think never having to toil at work as one benefit. The Holy Spirit doesn’t list retirement as a product of the easy yoke. Same goes for unlimited supplies of chocolate chip cookies.
Life’s circumstances are likely to remain. Sickness, tragedy, pain, death—these all remain as possibilities for any person’s life. The Holy Spirit never waves a magic wand and takes care of problems simply because a person is a believer.
Instead, when the nine qualities of Galatians 5:22-23 blossom in our lives, we now have an easy yoke because those qualities create a broader perspective, an increasing strength, and an incomprehensible peace. Believers are looking at their lives through an entirely new lens.
When Jesus promises the Disciples that the Holy Spirit will soon be dwelling within them (John 14:16), He calls the Holy Spirit their ‘Helper.’ The Greek word is ‘parakletos.’ It simply means supporter. It identifies someone who comes alongside of you no matter what.
Hopefully, when we think of God the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and acting as our biggest cheerleader, our mouths drop through the floor, through the top soil, through the various strata, and all the way to Kiwurrkurra, Australia. (The town exists. Look it up.) Only believers have the God of the universe dwelling within them. Be awed. Celebrate it.
The Holy Spirit also endows us with spiritual gifts, which we use to benefit others. Think on this: If I can set aside my own troubles by ministering to others through the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, wouldn’t that cause my yoke to be easier as well?
That carries a logical truth. Whenever we are engrossed in helping and serving others, we are less inclined to think of ourselves and our issues. Obviously, that’s true for non-believers as well as believers.
The difference is the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts we can use to help others while non-believers are left out. For believers, if we allow the Holy Spirit to plant His spiritual gifts within us, it opens an entirely new world of possibilities in loving and serving others.
Romans 12 provides one of the best listings of the spiritual gifts: preaching, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and being merciful. 1 Corinthians 12 lists wisdom, knowledge, faithfulness, discernment.
The important point is this: whatever your spiritual gifts are, you are to use them for the benefit of your church family. One of the blessings comes from taking your mind off yourself and turning your heart towards helping someone else via your spiritual gift. This, in turn, reinforces your easy yoke.
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for making our yokes easier via your presence in our lives. You come bringing fruit, gifts, and Yourself. With indecipherable peace, we are duly awed.