Saturday, March 21, 2026

Scripture

“Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1

Reflections

The Apostle Paul exhorts us to “pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophecy.” (1 Cor. 14:1)  We know that it is good to love, but prophecy?  How can we be prophets?

It begins with an understanding of what it means to be a prophet.  Many think of a prophet as some kind of divinely inspired soothsayer, predicting events unforeseeable to the average person.  One who speaks a prophetic word is different from someone with a crystal ball claiming to have supernatural powers.  A prophet is one who knows the ways of God and speaks the truth when people are headed in the ways of this world.   For those who know the ways of God, it is not hard to speak what will happen when people continue in their own ways.  As we read in Romans 6:23, the consequence of sin is death.  When we continue in our own ways, we bring about our own ruin.

We have people all around us who are short-sighted and do not see where their way of life is headed.  They live in the moment, pretending that if they ignore the inevitable consequences of their actions, it will not come to pass.  They don’t see what they are doing to themselves.

The role of a caring follower of Christ is to lovingly help others see what they’re doing to themselves and direct them to a better way.

Prayer

Lord God, thank you for helping me to grow in your way.  Be at work through me that others may see the direction in which their lives are headed and turn to You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Full Reading: 1 Corinthians 14:1-12