A Life Pleasing to God (Mark 12:35-44)

What is God like and how do we please Him? If I asked you that, how would you answer? There are a multitude of views about God, from a doting grandpa to a blacksmith ready to smash us with a hammer. But your view of God dictates your view of life. For how you view God determines how you believe you can please God. Further, your view of God determines your view of everything around you: You possessions, your circumstances, your trials, your blessings, and even yourself. 

After sparring with the Jewish leaders and revealing their hypocrisy, Jesus get to the point of how we can live lives pleasing to God. Admittedly, the last few passages have been very hard. Week after week I have ended feeling rather beat up. Convicted of spiritual self-righteousness, of lacking trust in God’s control of our civil authorities, and of unacceptable biblical ignorance, I entered this week thankful that we have arrived at the section which provides comfort and hope. We can have the power to do all these hard things and we can please God. We will discover that a life pleasing to God is tied up in the very person of God. In this text, Jesus presents for us three necessary steps to live a life pleasing to God.