Summit Life

Pastor J.D. Greear

First Place in Everything

February 22, 2022

In the book of Colossians, Paul makes it clear that Jesus is not just a character in God’s story; he’s the author of the story. He’s before all things. He’s above all things. He’s first in all things. In light of who Jesus is, Pastor J.D. asks one simple but revolutionary question: Is Jesus just important to you, or is he truly first in your life?

Featured Offer

Request Elijah and Elisha: An 8-Day Scripture Guide now.
In our workbook, this month, we’ll walk through Scripture from 1 Kings 17 through 2 Kings 6, through the ministries of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah confronted a religious environment very much like our own, one characterized by the attitude, “You have your god, and I have mine.” Elijah, one of the most fascinating characters in Scripture, shows us that knowing the one true God is better than every other rival. Then we’ll take some time to examine the life of one of the greatest miracle workers in all of Scripture: the prophet Elisha. The secret behind Elisha’s power here on earth was his fierce devotion to the God of heaven. Elisha left behind an amazing legacy in this life, not because he was thinking of this life but because he was focused on the greater things that were ahead. Reserve your copy now.

Archives

Our emotions function like smoke from a fire—and just like you can follow a trail of smoke to figure out what’s on fire in your house, you can follow the trail of your emotions to figure out what is on fire in your heart. Pastor J.D. concludes with the emotion of shame.
February 21, 2022
We’re in the final couple of days of our series on difficult emotions titled, “Smoke from a Fire.” Or, to change the analogy—each of these emotions—depression, anxiety, anger, envy, and now “shame”—functions like warning lights on the dashboard of our hearts, indicating what is going on in the engine of our souls.
February 18, 2022
Sociologists say that envy seems to be a bigger problem for our generation than any before us, because social media seems designed to play on it! But when we look at other people’s lives on social media, we are seeing a filtered image. Pastor J.D. concludes his message on the difficult emotion of envy.
February 17, 2022
Envy surrounds us—and most of us don’t realize the deadly poison that envy is. We think of envy as a kind of petty jealousy that just comes from wanting a little more. But the Bible treats it as far more serious. We’re discovering what the Bible really says about our emotions as we continue our series called, “Smoke from a Fire.”
February 16, 2022
We seem to live in an angry society. Just turn on any evening news talk show. The issues change by the day, but the anger doesn’t. People seem queued up and ready to be angry—in the classroom, at work, on Twitter, and on the freeway. Pastor J.D. teaches how we can be angry like Jesus.
February 15, 2022
Remember that one time in the Bible when Jesus got angry? And he didn’t hide it? And he didn’t sin? Pastor J.D. is helping us see how we can be angry like Jesus, too. We’re discovering what the Bible really says about our emotions … as we continue our series called, Smoke from a Fire.
February 14, 2022
When it comes to money, parenting, marriage, education, career, and any of the other litany of things we worry about, God is not telling us to sit back and do nothing. He is saying that we need to do what we can—in obedience to God, to the best of our ability—and trust him with the results. Pastor J.D. continues our study of difficult emotions called, Smoke from a Fire, with the emotion of anxiety. While anxiety thinks too little about God, it also minimizes how much God thinks of us.
February 11, 2022
What brings you the most worry and anxiety? Is it your kids? Your job? Your finances? We worry most about what we are devoted to most. Jesus talks about the difficult emotion of anxiety by first challenging what we are most devoted to. Today, Pastor J.D. continues our series called, Smoke from a Fire.
February 10, 2022
For some reason, most of us tend to think of “good Christians” as those who’re always smiling and encouraging others. So whenever we struggle with depression, despair, or doubts about God, we think there’s something wrong with us or maybe we just don’t have enough faith. And it can be difficult to ask for help because we don’t want anyone to see us as broken. Today, Pastor J.D. addresses this very real struggle from a biblical perspective.
February 9, 2022
St. Augustine once said that our deepest emotions often function like smoke from a fire: They can indicate what is going wrong in our hearts before we can articulate it. In this series, Pastor J.D. shows us that the aim of the Bible’s teaching on emotions isn’t to suppress them or even to manage them, but to read them accurately, express them honestly, and allow the gospel to reshape them completely.
February 8, 2022
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Featured Offer

Request Elijah and Elisha: An 8-Day Scripture Guide now.
In our workbook, this month, we’ll walk through Scripture from 1 Kings 17 through 2 Kings 6, through the ministries of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah confronted a religious environment very much like our own, one characterized by the attitude, “You have your god, and I have mine.” Elijah, one of the most fascinating characters in Scripture, shows us that knowing the one true God is better than every other rival. Then we’ll take some time to examine the life of one of the greatest miracle workers in all of Scripture: the prophet Elisha. The secret behind Elisha’s power here on earth was his fierce devotion to the God of heaven. Elisha left behind an amazing legacy in this life, not because he was thinking of this life but because he was focused on the greater things that were ahead. Reserve your copy now.

About Summit Life

Summit Life is a daily, 25-minute program, featuring the gospel-centered ministry of J.D. Greear. Summit Life with J.D. Greear is dedicated to calling people up to a joyous, reckless, generous, and audacious life of faith by learning more about God’s extravagant love found in Christ. In each engaging half-hour, J.D. Greear shares challenging biblical truths that inspire listeners to have daily encounters with Jesus Christ and his transformative grace.

About Pastor J.D. Greear

J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church, in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Under Pastor J.D.’s leadership, the Summit has grown from a plateaued church of 300 to one of over 10,000. Pastor J.D. has led the Summit in a bold vision to plant one thousand new churches by the year 2050.

Pastor J.D. Greear has authored several books, including Above All (2019), Not God Enough (2018), Gaining by Losing (2015), Gospel (2011), Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart (2013), and Jesus, Continued… (2014). Summit Life with J.D. Greear is a daily, half hour radio broadcast featuring the teaching of Pastor J.D.

Pastor J.D. completed his Ph.D. in Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He currently serves as the 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor J.D. and his wife Veronica are raising four awesome kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah, and Adon.

Contact Summit Life with Pastor J.D. Greear

J.D. Greear Ministries
P.O. Box 12293
Durham, NC 27709
Phone Number
866.335.5220