Daily Devotional for Tuesday, August 12

The Advantages of the Gift

“But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church,” 1 Corinthians 14:3, 4.

I used to sit at lunch with a few people that claimed to be Christians. One time this guy started bragging about being able to speak in tongues. I asked him if he was free after work to get together, to which he agreed. When we met, I asked him if he could go with me to talk to some people about Jesus that lived not far from our work and that only spoke the Lao language. He said that he could not speak to them because he did not speak in a known language or even understood what he was saying when he spoke in this tongue. I asked him what the advantage was to say you had the gift of tongues but could not talk to others about Christ with it.

Being able to communicate to others the good news of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest things you could do. If you are able to teach, build others up and help them in their life for Christ (verse 3) in an understandable way, then you have achieved what Paul was teaching in this passage. At that time, some had already begun to brag and use spiritual gifts incorrectly, thus, not helping or lifting anyone up but themselves. You have never been commanded to build up your ego but to build up others, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). It is to everybody’s advantage in the church if you use the gift of prophecy to edify, exhort and comfort them.

JUST A THOUGHT

Can you use your gift to help others? “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” (Romans 14:19).

Tim Chambers