Active Love

Scripture: "But one who prophesies speaks to me for edification and exhortation, and consolidation." 1 Corinthians 14:3

Observation: In Chapter 13 Paul lays out a case for love being the greatest thing that we can pursue. It is easy to misinterpret this as being a legitimate excuse to never confront another person regarding their behavior. In the first verse of chapter 14, Paul says, "Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy." It is as if Paul is saying that love is not passive. It is active. It is tolerant, but it is also confrontational. Of all the gifts, Paul chooses Prophesy as the one to showcase in this passage. I wonder why?

Application: Christian TV has done some serious damage to my understanding of prophesy. When I hear the term my mind immediately jumps to man in a cheesy suit, sporting a comical haircut, talking in an extremely over-dramatic tone; telling the world of some impending disaster. They often conclude this farce of a dissertation by asking me to "sow some seed" or buy some "how to predict and survive" book they have written on the topic.

And these are the good guys of prophesy. When I think back over people like David Karesh, Jim Jones and others; the case against prophesy continues to build in my mind. So all that is rolling in my mind when I read this passage from Paul and he is encouraging the use of prophesy. To help me sort through the confusion, I looked up the meaning of the word prophesy. The word prophesy simply means speaking out or proclaiming publicly.

Paul says we do it for three reasons; for edification, for exhortation, and for consolidation. Edification means to instruct. Especially so as to encourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement. Exhortation means a speech or discourse that encourages, incites, or earnestly advises. Consolidation means solidification; strengthening: consolidation of principles and beliefs. Suddenly I find my feelings regarding prophesy changing.

Prayer: It is a shame that I lose sight of basic principals such as this. Those three items should be staples of all my relationships. I should be willing to both give those things to people in my life and be willing to accept those three things from others. I wonder just how much transformation has been lost in my life because I refused to accept feedback or instruction from others? I wonder just how many times I have robbed people from the opportunity to grow closer to You because I lacked the courage to speak the truth?

It is my heart's desire to become a better steward of the relationships You have given me. But I often lack the courage to speak out and I also lack the emotional strength needed to hear hard feedback. I need to live out my relationships with a greater sense of focus and intentionality. All these things are beyond my ability to do on my own. Be my strength. Be my wisdom. Be my voice. In all things, keep my heart beating in rhythm with Your love me and for those you have placed in my life.