Clay Akers

More than just people

Each human being is more than just a person. We are all eternal beings. We will all live eternally, either in heaven with Jesus - OR - in hell eternally separated from God. Just like people once saw…

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NIV)

Singular, not plural

It is the fruit (singular) of the Spirit. Not the fruits (plural) of the Spirit. You either have it or you don't. You don't have just a few. This is a consistent view of the character of God. To show…

Galatians 5:22 (NIV), Galatians 5:23 (NIV)

Walking and Living

You cannot walk and live in the Spirit and the sinful nature at the same time. Each desires the opposite of the other. We want a third option: (c) I Want. We want to justify our actions and our feelings.…

Galatians 5:16 (NIV), Galatians 5:17 (NIV), Galatians 5:18 (NIV)

The Loving Initiative of God

God wants to be known more than we want to know Him.

Psalm 27:8 (NIV)

Awestruck by Salvation

Fear and trembling = awe. We should be in awe at our salvation. We should treat it as if it matters. It really matters. Forever. We should wake each day trembling with excitement at what we get to…

Philippians 2:12 (NIV)

Hypocrisy

This looks way too familiar. How do we tear down the wall of hypocrisy that separates Christ's church from those who have not yet met Christ? Would anyone want to meet Christ based on the way you live?

Matthew 23:4 (NIV84)

Jesus came for the sinners

Jesus chose sinners to be his disciples. Levi (who is more widely known as the disciple Matthew & wrote the gospel bearing his name) was a tax collector. Tax collectors were the worst of the worst. They…

Luke 5:27 (NIV84), Luke 5:28 (NIV84), Luke 5:29 (NIV84), Luke 5:30 (NIV84), Luke 5:31 (NIV84), Luke 5:32 (NIV84)

Holy Irritation

"Spur one another on..." the word is often used to describe something in your eye. Who is in our lives irritating us toward holiness?

Hebrews 10:24 (NIV84)

The Goal: Unity

Paul tells us to be unified in several ways. Unity of mind. "be like-minded"Unity of heart. "having the same love"Unity of hands. "...not looking to your own interests..."

Philippians 2:1 (KJV), Philippians 2:2 (KJV), Philippians 2:3 (KJV), Philippians 2:4 (KJV), Philippians 2:5 (KJV)

How Great IS Our God?

Chris Tomlin lifts it up as an exclamation of praise, but I'm asking it as a practical question: How great is our God? Better yet: How great is YOURGod? (And, no, this isn't one of those elementary…

1 John 5:13 (NIV), 1 John 5:14 (NIV), 1 John 5:15 (NIV)

Crazy for loving... us.

"Crazy for tryin' and crazy for dyin', He's crazy for loving... us." Since love has got to be the most popular song topic ever, I couldn't help but hear Patsy Cline's voice singing this modified version…

1 John 4:7 (NIV), 1 John 4:8 (NIV), 1 John 4:9 (NIV), 1 John 4:10 (NIV), 1 John 4:11 (NIV), 1 John 4:12 (NIV), 1 John 4:13 (NIV), 1 John 4:14 (NIV), 1 John 4:15 (NIV), 1 John 4:16 (NIV), 1 John 4:17 (NIV), 1 John 4:18 (NIV)

Is it "love"?

God is the source of true love, so all love comes from God. So, much of the time we say that we "love" someone or something, bit do we? Really? Contrary to popular belief, love, true love, is not a feeling.…

1 John 4:7 (NIV)

Well, are you coming, or not?

Banquet.  The very word for me conjures up images of cheesy table decorations, bad speakers and overcooked food. Not to mention a room full of strangers, some of whom I'll be seated with at a table and…

Luke 14:15 (NIV), Luke 14:16 (NIV), Luke 14:17 (NIV), Luke 14:18 (NIV), Luke 14:19 (NIV), Luke 14:20 (NIV), Luke 14:21 (NIV), Luke 14:22 (NIV), Luke 14:23 (NIV), Luke 14:24 (NIV)

Would Jesus? Then, go for it!

When I read this passage, my mind goes back to the Looney Toons cartoons I used to watch as a kid. You know, the ones where the character (Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, or whomever) had a choice to make,…

1 John 3:19 (NIV), 1 John 3:20 (NIV), 1 John 3:21 (NIV), 1 John 3:22 (NIV), 1 John 3:23 (NIV), 1 John 3:24 (NIV)

Sometimes, laying down means standing up

As Christians, how many times have we heard the verse, "Greater love has no one that this: that he lay his life down for his friends. (John 15:13)"? Most often, that verse is used in context and rightfully…

1 John 3:16 (NIV), 1 John 3:17 (NIV), 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

Independence Day

For Christians, every Sunday is the Fourth of July. Christ bled and died in His battle for our independence from that most horrid nation - condemnation. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Romans 8:1 (NIV), Romans 8:2 (NIV)

Decisions, Decisions

It is interesting that Paul does not tell Timothy that we MUST choose to cleanse ourselves of the latter (i.e. common use), but rather that if we choose to, that we can be used for special purposes by…

Real Prayer

What are we asking God for that only God can give? We need to pray prayers that require God to show up and be God. We should pray like only God is God. And we should expect God to be God when (yes - WHEN)…

Matthew 18:19 (NIV), Matthew 18:20 (NIV)

The Lion IS the Lamb

The conquering lion is actually a submissive lamb. Jesus conquered death and hell because he submitted to God's will and became our sacrificial lamb.

Revelation 5:2 (NIV), Revelation 5:5 (NIV), Revelation 5:6 (NIV)

He will come. The world will mourn.

The world (i.e. non-believers) will mourn because their judgement will be upon them. Believers will mourn because of the magnitude of the pending judgement. We (believers) will grasp the gravity of…

Revelation 1:7 (NIV)

The 3 Names of Jesus

"Faithful Witness" = Prophet "First Born from the dead" = Priest "Ruler of the kings of the earth" = King

Revelation 1:5 (NIV)

Why DO we look for the living among the dead?

Possessions, Praise, Pleasure - we spend so much time looking for "Life" among those things which are neither alive nor can they give life. Jesus says He IS the Life. Jesus is where we should seek life,…

Luke 24:5 (NIV), Luke 24:6 (NIV)

The Darkness

The unexplained darkness came as a result of Jesus becoming sin. God shielded himself from looking upon this horror. God could not look at it; He had to turn away. This is why Jesus says he is thirsty…

Mark 15:33 (NIV), Mark 15:34 (NIV)

Missing the point.

Even the religious leaders are missing the point. Jesus did not come to save himself; He came to save the rest of us.

Luke 23:35 (NIV)

@ the Cross

While being tortured, in extreme pain, Jesus is thinking of others, not himself.

John 19:24 (NIV), John 19:26 (NIV), John 19:27 (NIV)