Devotional
It's Time to Regain First-generation Faith
Many years ago at The Summit Church, there was a group of people who said, “Jesus and his mission will be first.” But here’s what happens: When churches like ours get big and “settled,” so to speak, they experience a natural inertia. Within a generation, they move from mission to maintenance. They go from being reckless in the mission to being comfortable in the institution.
Does Your Giving Say "Leftovers" or "Lord"?
If we feel slighted by a meal in which we were only a secondhand thought, imagine how Jesus must feel when we give him our leftovers, when our giving reflects that our treasure lies with something other than him. Jesus does not deserve our leftovers. He deserves the first place in everything. What gets the first and best of your treasures?
Don’t Miss the Invitation to Share a Meal with Jesus
Receiving an invitation to a meal is an honor because eating with someone is one of the most intimate connections you can make with other people. A meal together is fellowship. It’s engagement. It’s acceptance. Jesus Christ has extended to you an invitation to his banquet. Wouldn’t that invitation overrule everything else going on in your life—everything on the earth?
How Can Your Job Benefit the Poor?
If it’s crossing your mind that you can climb the ladder in your workplace, then you have skills that could transform entire communities in the poorer parts of the world. The skills and resources to end most poverty are already in the church. The next step is for you to decide how you can use what you have and where God has placed you to make an eternal difference and benefit those most in need.
Jesus Is Not Just Important. He Must Be First.
Jesus is first. He is the Creator of everything, the template on which it was made, and the one for whom it was made. He is not one of many beautiful things God has created—not even, as many other religions claim, the most beautiful and powerful being God created. No, Jesus is the creating force and purpose behind it all.
How to Pray (Part 5): "Lead Us Not Into Temptation"
Only God’s grace can deliver us from the temptations of our heart, especially since we have a literal Enemy who is scheming to attack us with those temptations in the specific places where he knows we are most vulnerable. But, God promises to make a way of escape if we ask him for it.
About J.D. Greear
J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC and author of several books including Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches That Send.