2 Chronicles 10:4
Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.
When Solomon died, the people came to Rehoboam and asked him to ease the workload that his father had put upon them. They thought Solomon was too hard on them, but they surely enjoyed the blessings that the “heavy burden” brought. The desire for ease was the beginning of the end for the people of Judah. They eased the standard, but they brought in the beginning steps toward destruction. They should have just continued to do what Solomon did and they would have continued to see the blessings that the load brought.
We are often creatures who desire ease from the burden when we don't realize the load of the burden is what brings blessings. Many churches have eased up on what a previous pastor did, a pastor whom God blessed, only to see that church lose the blessings, shrink in size, and eventually compromise and die. Many young adults want to ease up on what their parents made them do, not realizing that what their parents did is what made them. A rebellious, lazy, and entitled generation has come because parents eased up on their children to the destruction of their children’s future. My friend, we don't need to ease the load of the burden that makes greatness, but we need to continue the burden so the blessings will continue. Let me give you four thoughts about the search for ease.
First, the destruction of a generation is looking to ease what the previous generation did. Great nations and churches were built under the burden of work and sacrifice, and not with the ease of leisure. When we try to change what brought the blessings to the previous generation, we bring destruction to future generations. Those who did not have to sacrifice to enjoy the burden that the previous generation endured don't understand how the burden is what made them and brought God’s blessings on them. We must not seek to ease what the previous generation did, but we must seek to continue what they taught us.
Second, greatness is built by the pressure and work of the burden. Burdens reveal the areas that must be corrected to bring blessings. To ease the burden so the cracks won't be revealed by the pressure of the burden only causes the cracks in character to get worse. You cannot hand greatness to someone who has never been tested by the burden. Great leaders are discovered under the pressure of the burden and weight of the workload.
Third, you can’t ease somewhat without losing the blessings that the load brought. To ease is to change what brought the blessings. Everything about the pressure and the workload is part of the recipe for blessings. Once you ease up on the pressure and the workload, you begin to turn off what brought the blessings.
Fourth, ease leads to casual, and casual leads to casualty. We must understand that it is easing up on the standards, the workload, the methods, and the pressure to produce is what leads to a casual society. Every country, church, or individual who became casual always became a casualty. If we don't want to become a casualty, we should not seek to be casual by easing the burden, workload, or standards that brought God’s blessings on us.
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