Happy Baptism of the Lord Sunday! Enjoy the message for the week: The Simple Secret to Life: Please God!

Life is complicated, but I am a simple man who likes to simplify complex concepts without losing their essence. Many philosophers have tried to resolve life’s issues, but I feel they still make it more complicated than I like. I want to find a secret of life that I can succinctly articulate and live by.
I admire Einstein, who found the secret of energy and put it into a simple formula: e=mc2. It’s so simple that we all know it, but it solves a complex problem. With that simple formula, scientists have solved many complicated energy issues, built nuclear power plants, and even created shockingly powerful atomic bombs.
If we can simplify life into a simple formula, I can solve my own life problems and help others solve their problems. Can we make life simple? By simple, I do not mean a minimalist lifestyle. I mean a simple formula to make life easier to navigate.
After decades of scouring the scriptures, I have found the formula. The simple secret of life is revealed in the early story of the wise King Solomon, and also at Jesus’ baptism. Let’s talk about Solomon first. When King Solomon became the king of Israel, he was nervous, feeling inadequate to lead the country. The Bible says,
“Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David.” (1 Ki 3:3).
The king went to Gibeon and offered burnt offerings to the Lord. The Lord saw his devotion, and the Bible says,
“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” (1 Ki 3:5).
What would you ask if God gave you a blank check like that? When God asks them this question, most people might think they won a jackpot. However, Solomon began by praising God for God’s faithfulness to his father, and then he showed his self-awareness, a sign of maturity, knowing his inadequacy for the job. He said,
“And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.” (1 Ki 3:7).
Solomon was only twenty years old when he became king. Yet he seemed mature enough not to become haughty but was fully aware of his age and lack of skill and experience, so he asked,
“Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” (1 Ki 3:9).
He asked for wisdom and understanding to govern the people God entrusted in him. The next verse says,
“It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.” (1 Ki 3:10).
This is where the secret of life is: to please God. Then God explained why he was pleased. Solomon didn’t ask for wealth and military might. With consciousness of his situation, he sincerely expresses his desire to serve God’s people effectively with wisdom and understanding.
How do we please God? Serve people! Many people have it backward; they try to please people and serve God instead. God doesn’t need us to serve Him because He has many angels and heavenly beings who can do a better job. But God wants us to serve his people on earth.
King Solomon wasn’t perfect, but he learned this from his father, King David. King David wasn’t perfect either. They are all imperfect human beings. The point is not about perfection but about the secret of life. And they got it. They knew the secret chord that pleases the Lord.
Later God sends a perfect on who pleases the Lord perfectly and we all must emulate. The Bible says, after Jesus received his baptism, God’s voice came from heaven, saying,
“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Lk 3:22b).
Many people don’t understand why God was pleased. They thought God was pleased because Jesus was his Son. When you put it in the context of the entire Bible, it becomes clear why God was pleased. It’s because Jesus came to serve. Jesus said,
“For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45).
God was pleased because Jesus came to serve the people; his service is ultimate because he gave his life. To serve is to give; what more can a person give than his own life? That’s why his service is the ultimate service.
So today, we will review the secret of life revealed in the Bible and ultimately exemplified by God’s own Son, Jesus Christ. Today is the Sunday commemorating The Baptism of the Lord. From Jesus’ baptism, we will explore the simple formula of life. I’ll put it this way:
L = PS2 (Life equals Pleasing God and Serving People Sacrificially. Square means more than mere serving but serving sacrificially like Jesus did). If you follow this simple formula, life becomes meaningful because that’s the Great Commandment in practice. Let’s dive into it and see how we can apply it in our lives based on today’s scripture lesson. Let’s begin!