John the Baptist said that Jesus must increase and he must decrease.  Most of the time our lives are not on the line when it comes to living for Jesus, but every day we face situations where we have to decide if we are going to more concerned about ourselves (our own comfort, ideas, desires) or whether we will lay it all down for Jesus.  Ken Daniel shares with us today how God has worked in him to be able to say with Paul, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Compassion is one of the characteristics that marks the ministry of Jesus.  More than a feeling, it is action, often moving Jesus to do things that are very uncomfortable or unpopular.  For us who have received God’s compassion, it flows out of us as well.

“The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. ‘My God,’ you will say, ‘if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world?’”  Søren Kierkegaard, Provocations

Oh, the Places You’ll Go is a fun, famous children’s book written by Dr. Seuss recounting the adven-ture and anxieties of new beginnings. Today, we celebrate the beginning of a new school year for teachers, students and coaches as well as our Life in Jesus (LIJ) classes. Living Life in Jesus begins with a new mindset: HE is greater than I. As followers of Jesus we have a unique opportunity in all the places we go this year to live a transformed life where our thoughts and actions are molded by Jesus.