Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

QT 10/2/2024 1 Cor 14:12, Spiritual gifts should build others up

1 Corinthians 14:6–12 (ESV) —

6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

 

NOTE: The passage is aimed at the misuse of the gift of speaking in tongues, which seems to be the popular gift of the time. In many ways, tongues is a completely useless gift without an interpreter. It is a good example of a case where you can overuse a gift, or use it without actually bringing about any good. Instead Paul focuses on the idea that the gift needs to build others up. In another section, the idea was for the common good (some good to the individual). Paul suggests some gifts that are a little more difficult to overuse -- revelation, knowledge, prophecy, and teaching -- but even in these cases, if a person doesn't use the gift, that is, apply the gift, it is useless. In the passage preceding, Paul had emphasized that all the gifts are worthless without love. Paul's summary statement is that we need to strive to excel in building up the church (the body of believers). If the gift is not helping them to be more mature in Christ, it is not being used correctly. And it is not being done in love.

 

PONDER:

  1. Do I know what my gift is?
  2. Am I using my gift to build others up? Or am I using it to life me up?

 

PRAYER: Father, I am grateful to have a spiritual gift that can be very useful to build others up. But, help me to focus on the "so what does it mean for my life" and "how do I use the knowledge for good." I want to build the body up above all other things.

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